Chapters

Bittersweet. Sad. Hard to believe. Change is never easy. Like a book, life is a series of chapters. There are new beginnings. There are unexpected endings. There are twists and turns along the way that may not make sense until you reach the end of the book. While these changes can be exciting for those who have an adventurous spirit, they can also be stressful for those who feel the need to be in control all the time. If we truly believe that God is the author, then we can rest in the assurance that He has a plan.

Today we closed a chapter. We are closing the doors to our Southbrook Monroe campus. It's been an amazing ride. Four years ago we began this journey, and today it has ended. For now. We don't know what the future holds, but for now we will begin a new chapter, looking forward to something new and different.

God takes us on these journeys. We travel down the path He has ordained for us. He uses us for His glory along the way. If we faithfully follow Him, we learn to trust Him more and more. As we draw closer to Him, we tend to respond more quickly to His plans. And when His plans change (at least they appear to change from our perspective) we can make the changes we need to make in order to continue following Him, to stay close to Him, to obey His will.

There are many stops along the way. Are you paying attention? God has something for you to do. No step is wasted. No stop is in vain. Every hurdle matters. We tend to get discouraged when things don't go according to our own plans. But we shouldn't be concerned with our own plans. We should be concerned only with God's plan. His plans are always better than our plans.

I'm thankful for the opportunity to have played a part in this chapter called Southbrook Monroe. I was disappointed when I found out we would have to close. I understand the reasoning. As a church we cannot afford to sustain that part of the ministry right now. Everyone is making cutbacks because of finances. There are very few people today who have not been affected in some way by the economic state of our country, of our world. It makes sense on paper. What doesn't make sense is thinking about the ministry that has happened, and still is happening. Lives are being touched, changed forever. People are meeting Jesus face to face for the first time. Many are experiencing what the love of Jesus is all about, first hand. Why would God not want to sustain that kind of impact?

And I have to stop, and remember that God is the author. He began this chapter, He can end this chapter. He began the book, and He surely knows how the book will end. Can I trust Him with that? Can you? God's plans are always better than our plans.

I look forward to the next chapter. I look ahead with anticipation. Like a kid waiting in line to get on that new ride at the amusement park for the first time, I cannot wait to see what God has planned.