“Surely, Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield.” Psalm 5:12 (NIV)
One piece of sage advice my parents gave me, and I’ve heard from countless teachers and mentors is this: “Be careful not to burn bridges when you leave a situation because you never know when you might need the support of whom you left in the future.”
While that is sound advice and I have heeded it with all jobs I have transitioned from, when we started attending our home church five years ago, there was an added piece to the advice I hadn’t really considered and certainly had never actively pursued and that was: “When leaving a position, a ministry, a service, do whatever is in your power to achieve the blessing of the one who is letting you go.”
It wasn’t that I didn’t want to honor my boss, my mentor, or the person who was in authority over me in years past; it was that I had never thought about how important it was to receive that blessing, both for myself and for the one in authority over me in the position I was leaving.
Everyone who has ever worked knows it’s important to give a resignation letter and allow at least two weeks, sometimes a month of transition before fully exiting a position, depending upon the level of importance you hold with the job and the level of training needed to get another person hired and ready to take over fully.
I share in Spoken from the Heart: His Plan, His Purpose about the importance of doing life God’s way. If we want to be blessed by our Father, then we need to obey His commands. He loves all of His children unconditionally and equally, which means His plans include blessings for each of us.
This concept doesn’t just apply to work situations or ministry situations. It involves all areas of our lives.
Whether we’re dealing with relationship issues, conflict with others, work, ministry or serving difficulties, God calls us to live in peace. Slipping out the back door leaves room to harbor anger against others which can lead to bitterness and hatred.
God asks us to do life differently. He asks us to be bold and courageous, sometimes to speak the truth, sometimes to choose to remain silent but always to leave situations better than when we began.
Are you dealing with a situation in your life that seems hopeless? One where you just want to escape and pretend it didn’t exist?
While that appears to be the easy way out, God calls us to do better. What is one action you can do to leave blessed instead of slipping out the back door? Please reply in the comment section and let me know how God is helping you resolve the situation you’re facing so that it’s better when you leave than it was when you were in it.
© Cheri Swalwell 2018