DAY 11: The Art of Ending (Part 1)

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow said, "Great is the art of belonging, but greater is the art of ending." Transitions are all about ending one chapter in our lives, whether we like it or not, and beginning a new chapter. How do we bring closure? How do we exit a season in life? How do we move on?

How do you move on when your spouse hands you divorce papers or a boss hands you a retrenchment letter? How do you move on when your kids grow up and find their own lives? How do you move on when a loved one dies? I don't think there are any easy answers to those questions, but what I do know is that it is a process. Whenever we experience loss - whether it's a relationship or a job or a dream - we go through a grieving process. That's normal and healthy. God has created us with tear ducts. Ecclesiastes 3 says there is 'a time to weep.'

I've always been intrigued by Joshua 5:9. It says, "Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you." This is forty years after their exodus out of Egypt. It was a process. It took one night to get Israel out of Egypt. It took forty years to get Egypt out of Israel.

I have often heard of guys who resigned their job and went to work for a competitor, but they didn't burn any bridges. Then later that company recruits them back several years later. How you exit a situation - whether you're ending a dating relationship, quitting a job, or leaving a church - speaks volumes about you. Sometimes you need to leave an open door.

1 Corinthians 7:10 says, "A wife must not separate from her husband. But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else br reconciled." In other words, in some circumstances, we need to leave the door open for reconciliation. In other circumstances, we are free to close the door. 1 Corinthians 7:15 says, "If the unbeliever leaves, let him do so. A believing man or woman is not bound in such circumstances."

Sometimes we need to leave an open door. Sometimes we need to burn bridges. There are two great examples in Scripture - one in the Old Testament and one in the New Testament.

(adapted from Senior Pastor Guna Raman devotion "Managing Transitions in a Downturn")