I started a project many years ago. Things went smoothly for a while and then things did not quite work out the way I expected and a lot of enthusiasm went down the drain. Over the years, people left the project.  Many years later, the project became alive again and though I am still in contact and friendly with many of the original people who had worked on the project with me, none of them are still involved today. That got me thinking about the title for today’s post, what happens when people leave?

Interestingly, in the last post we discussed the importance of knowing when a season has ended in one’s life. Here we discuss the importance of letting people go when their ‘season’ in your life is over.

Back to my example, initially I had relied on the people working alongside me because of their specialised knowledge. As people left, I was sacred, just in case I could not find people to replace them with similar skills.  One day, I woke up to the realisation that everyone had left, I was all alone and I had to get on with the job. I started to look out for others who could step into their shoes and guess what! I found, another group of people. Suddenly, I realised that I was not ‘helpless’ as I had initially thought. I also discovered that I was a lot more competent in areas I would not previously have been. This taught me a lesson, sometimes when people leave; it is not all bad news.  I should have remembered that the project was God’s idea and all I needed was the courage to move on.

I was encouraged to read of examples from the scriptures where people left others and it was actually better that they did. Let’s consider a few examples:

a)    The most obvious example of someone leaving is the story of Lot and Abraham. The story can be read in Genesis 13and the departure was caused in an effort to avoid conflict. When Lot left his uncle, the next thing that happened was  that God gave Abraham a wonderful promise ( Genesis 13:14)

b)    Another example is Elijah and Elisha, as recorded in 2 Kings 21:1-15. God was going to take Elijah home. Here the departure was caused by death, but the departure was necessary so that Elisha could receive a double portion of the Spirit of God upon Elijah

c)    Another interesting example perhaps,  is that of Paul and Barnabas as described in Acts 13:13. Having worked together on a missionary journey with two assistants, Paul and Barnabas had a disagreement over Mark John, whom Paul did not want to take along on any future journeys. The departure was caused by a difference of opinion. We don’t know how the reconciliation took place other than the fact that Mark John was valuable to Paul later on in his life ( 2 Timothy 4:11)

d)    The last example I want to highlight and is possibly the most familiar, is of our Lord Jesus Christ. He stated that it was better that He leaves so that the disciples (who were now very dependent upon Him) could have the Holy Spirit and do even greater works than He had done ( John 16:7). His departure was for our benefit.

In conclusion, there are times when people have to depart from our lives.

However, a word of caution here, I am not referring to situations where due to our own fault, negligence or what-not, our behaviour has caused people to leave. That situation calls for repentance before we move on; as we might have caused an offence to other people.

So until I appear again in your inbox with more insights from the scriptures and from life, stay blessed

Ola

www.christianbusinessmagazine.com

Last update : Monday 11/07/11

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