The Time In Between - A Devotional for the Board of Elders, Community Christian Fellowship

Devotional: "The Time In Between" 

By Joe Walenciak, February 2025, Board of Elders, Community Christian Fellowship

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 3:1 – “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.”

Our lives have many stories.  Most of you know this.  We reach a stage in life where we see these stories start to come to an end.  This may be a job or career, areas of ministry or activity, or even the people in our lives.  For example, for many years, I have taken big spring break groups to Guatemala.  This year I am not, and for various reasons, I think that the story of the big spring break Guatemala trip has probably ended.  People ask me how I will keep this ministry going or who I am grooming to replace me.  I don’t think they will, at least not with me.  For me, what is important about this story is that it happened, not that I have to find a way to keep it going. 

Stories have a sunrise and a sunset.  We are born into this world by God’s design, and one day, we will step into eternity.  But what truly matters is what happens in between—the way we live, the choices we make, the faith we cultivate, and the lives we impact or who impact us.

It is difficult to let go, and when it comes to the things we do for many years, it is natural to wonder about our impact.  We ask, Will I leave a legacy?  Did I make a difference?  Will I be remembered?  But the truth is, legacy is not ours to control or even understand.  It is God who multiplies the seeds we plant.  He is the one who determines the harvest.  We are not called to be successful…just faithful.

Jesus spoke often of seeds—of the mustard seed that grows into a great tree (Matthew 13:31-32), of the sower scattering seed on different soils (Matthew 13:3-9).  His message was clear:  our role is to be faithful in the planting.  The growth, the harvest, the legacy—those belong to God.

Sometimes, however, we worry not just about impact, but about keeping a story going—whether it be a ministry, a tradition, or even a season of leadership.  It is hard to let go.  We hold on, trying to sustain something that God may be calling us to release.  Stories end, and that’s okay.  Letting go does not mean failure; it means trusting God for the next chapter, even if we don’t yet see what it will be…or if it even involves us directly.

Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 3:6, “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow.”  Sometimes, we are called to plant.  Other times, we are called to water.  And sometimes, we are called to step back and let something end so that God can bring something new.

This month, CCF experienced the painful loss of Pastor Jessie, and we were reminded that stories come to an end.  But Pat has been quick to remind us of what is more important:  how Jessie lived his life, not how he lost it.  Honestly, I did not know Jessie very well, but he was part of our CCF family.  We grieve the loss of a friend, and we trust in God.  But I doubt if we will ever know in this life the harvest that came from the seeds that Jessie planted throughout his life.

As elders, we are not just caretakers of what has been—we are stewards of what God is doing now and what God will do in the future.  I pray that we have the wisdom to know when to press forward, when to persevere, and when to let go, trusting that God is still writing His greater story.

Reflection Questions:

1.       What stories in your life or ministry might be coming to a natural end, and how can you embrace this transition with faith and trust in God's timing?

2.       In what areas of your leadership are you holding on too tightly, perhaps out of a desire to control the legacy or sustain a tradition, rather than releasing it to God’s will?

3.       How can you differentiate between a season that requires perseverance and a season that calls for letting go? What discernment practices can help with this?

4.       As a steward of God’s work in the church, how are you balancing honoring the past with being open to new directions God may lead the church?

5.       Reflecting on the legacy of Pastor Jessie, how can we focus more on living faithfully today without being distracted by how we will be remembered tomorrow?