Just because they left doesn’t mean you lost The other day someone brought up the name of a person who had left our church. Then they mentioned another person who left. Soon I chimed in about two or three people who had left, and before I knew it, I felt that old familiar sick to the stomach feeling…the feeling of failure. Lots of people have become a part of our church over the last 4 years. And, a few people have left our church over the last 4 years. But just because someone has left your life doesn’t necessarily mean you lost. Some people leave because their life situation changed, God has work for them to do elsewhere, or their part in the story is simply over. And even when someone leaves on more negative terms, that doesn’t mean you can’t rejoice in the part of their life that you did impact in a positive way. I’ve had a few men who served in close proximity to me who ended up really going off the deep end spiritually. Watching the progression of how they left the church, destroyed their marriages, and seemingly gave up on God broke my heart. I did what I could to bring them back. It didn’t work. They’re gone. I felt like I had lost. Did any of the investments I made in them matter? Was it all for nothing? Was all my preaching, teaching, and praying in vain? I refuse to see it that way. I’ve just got to believe that God’s Word doesn’t return void, and there may come a day that all the seed I’ve sown will produce a harvest. I won’t let the devil tell me that I’m a loser or a failure because not everyone who is a part of my ministry completes their 180 degree transformation. Even Jesus didn’t have that kind of success rate. Maybe sometimes God just allows me to help redirect someone back to Him in smaller increments-1 or 2 degrees. That counts for something too. Maybe He won’t always allow me to witness the complete success of someone I’ve invested in. But if I’m faithful and obedient, my work in the Lord is never in vain. It’s always a win.
