The Opposite of a Selfie

When was the last time you lost something important to you?

Have you ever experienced a ministry coming to an end?

It can be tough. Many years ago, I faced the awful challenge of closing a Christian school. I had begun serving as principal when the school was small and struggling to attract new students. After some failed attempts to bring in new enrolments, the overseeing church felt that it was no longer something it could sustain and I had no choice but to bring Kingsway School to an end.

It was an extremely painful experience for the families involved. And for me.

In some ways, my identity was challenged. Who am I now? I had hoped to be a principal of a flourishing ministry. I had hoped this would lead to other opportunities, but it didn’t. I was not the successful leader I thought I would be. My dreams died with that school.

“He must become greater; I must become less”

When John the Baptist began to face the reality of diminishing popularity, with more people following Jesus than him, he could have felt discouraged. Deeply discouraged. Especially when others started noticing.