People and Changing Seasons Part 2

Recently, this quote has been passing around on Facebook;

Never make someone a priority when all you are to them is an option.

When you make someone a priority when all you are to them is an option, you open the door to the spirit of offense to grab you and sow bitterness into your life. This is especially hard for those in ministry to deal with and overcome.

I have recently had conversations with several pastors in different parts of the world who have experienced the pain and rejection of people leaving their church in the wrong way. One minute you are the greatest preacher/pastor in the world; next month you are the worst excuse for a pastor people have ever seen. I wonder if Christian TV has created an unrealistic image of what a pastor should be; and when a pastor doesn't preach, move or lead like this image we see on TV, people leave churches in the wrong way, leaving a trail of hurt along the way.

I have seen parents who have struggled with their children leaving home; and seen the bitterness they can never seem to overcome that stems from the hurt of their children moving on with their lives.

One of the major ways satan gains access into our lives is in the area of relationships. While teaching a marriage retreat recently, I realized the Ephesian scriptures on marriage, children and our duties to our employers come right before the Paul's passage on the Armor of God. The greatest warfare of our lives will be centered around relationships. This is because God created us to need people in our life.

I remember as a young Youth Pastor, there was a time in which the students we were pastoring were growing by leaps and bounds; our numbers were increasing weekly; we gained the reputation in our small Alabama town of bringing a measure of transformation to the local High Schools by our youth outreaches on Saturday nights. Pam and I felt like we were finally making a difference in people's lives in a positive way.

Then suddenly, the season changed.

One by one the students began to move on; some to college, some married, some just dropped out for no apparent reason. I can remember the feelings of failure and incompetency satan bombarded me with. I couldn't understand how after pouring my life into people, they would walk out of my life for no apparent reason.

The cycle continued when I became the Lead Pastor of our church. I would pour my life and energy into people, they would receive me as a gift from God, then suddenly for no apparent reason, they would walk out of my life. I remember the wounding, the piercing, the feelings of betrayal; and yes the bitterness satan would bombard my mind with. I thought, how could someone I had helped overcome an addiction, help their marriage be restored, see them through the death of a family loved one, suddenly decide I wasn't good enough to be their shepherd anymore?

Ministers and their spouses in every country feel the pain and piercing of betrayal every day. If I had only understood the times and season of God then, I don't think I would have allowed myself to be so pierced and wounded.

Thank God for spiritual growth!

There are people who will be attached to you your entire life. Some people are only in your life for a season; but everyone is in your life for a reason! Your job is to discern the reason someone is in your life (and you are in their life). Then release the Kingdom of God within you into them (and vise versa).

Don't hold on too tightly! For God will move, the seasons will change and people move on. You must move on also. Remember: just as some people have walked out of your life, you have walked out of someone else's life.

Some relationships are easy. You never have to struggle to maintain them. You can go without seeing them for a year, then when you meet again, you can simply pick up where you left off. No Jealousy, no hurt, no tension, no competition, no drama.

Other relationships will take some work. And over time a wonderful relationship will develop that will bring blessing into each life.

While others, no matter how hard you try will never produce anything good. It will be like oil and water. Have you thought, maybe this person was not supposed to be connected to you in the first place?

Don't allow satan an entrance way into your life with the piercing of a relationship. Let go; and let God connect you with relationships who will celebrate you and not simply tolerate you.

How you respond to the changing of this season determines the timing of the next season of blessing into your life. God has people He is preparing to come into your life that will be a fountain of Living Water to you. And God is preparing you to be the answer to their prayer.

At all cost…let brotherly love continue.