Facebook Revelation

“Then the virgin will rejoice in the dance, And the young men and the old together; For I will turn their mourning into joy And comfort them, and give them joy for their sorrow.” —Jeremiah 31:13, NASB

While scrolling through the Facebook page of one of my friends, a new revelation came to me. But let me backtrack a bit. A new position was advertised in the office after my senior leadership position in the church was made redundant.

I was told that an amazingly organized person had been chosen for the new position. In my distress, that rubbed against me. Although this process was very painful for me, I was intentional about doing the right thing. I made sure there were flowers waiting for her at her desk on her first day of work. I had written down a detailed list of all the work processes she would need to access. I answered all the questions she had, both during the handover and afterward. I listened as we sometimes used our lunch break to walk and talk, all the while feeling pained by this transition. As time went by, I had selfish thoughts: it should have been me who was in her place and doing things she was doing. Every time I saw her or passed by her office, I felt a small pang in my heart. So, my heart and my head were not in agreement.

I kept praying. Back to the pictures I saw on Facebook.

They were of her visiting different countries as a senior administrator in the church. She is enjoying her work and is well accepted in her new role.

She is the first female to hold this position in this territory. And then it dawned on me! If my role had not been made redundant, she would not have been willing to take a senior role. She would not have been preparing for the opportunity the Lord had now given to her. It is because I was no longer in that role that a younger, capable woman had opportunities no other woman had before her. And because of her, many other women will have a door opened to serve in senior church positions in the future. Finally, my heart and my head are in the same place. It was worth the pain, and I can now rejoice at the thought of what future opportunities have been made possible. If you are in the middle of sorrow, I pray that you will remember that God will turn it to joy, just as He promised!

Danijela Schubert