This last few weeks has been an emotional rollercoaster for me as I have prepared to step down from my ministry at Ashby and take up the role of Learning and Development Manager at the Congregational Federation. There have been high and lows, happiness and sadness, excitement and anxiety – all rolled up in one. As I have travelled through this period, I have tried to take the time to capture the moments along the way, to remember the people, to be mindful of the moving on of time and to be thankful for what I have been part of over the past 17 years. It’s not been easy to move on, but I am sure that this new role is what God is calling me to do. And so today, as I take a seat and settle in, my prayer is that I can continue to be mindful of all the experiences I will have, and to hear and respond to what God is asking me to do!
The reading I used in my final service (as Minister) at Ashby was Joshua 1:1-9 where Joshua was asked to step into the shoes of the great leader Moses and lead God’s people into the Promised Land. God promised that he would be with Joshua and that Joshua should be strong and courageous as he undertook the mission God had placed before him and tried to live up to the leader who had gone before.
It made me think of all those times that we are called to follow those who have gone before. Sometimes we might feel that we can’t live up to the expectations, perhaps we worry that the way we will do things will be different and not accepted by others, or we fear that the shoes are just too big to fill. However, we can be sure that if God calls us to a new way of serving him, he will equip us for the job in far more ways than we could possibly hope for or expect.
We all are called to set out on journeys led by God and today as I begin the next stage of my service of him, and other people, I look to this verse to give me focus as I go forward: “This is my command — be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9). I wonder what new challenges you are facing and I hope and pray that this verse will be an encouragement to you too.
May God guide all our steps, be with us on all our journeys and give us the strength and courage we need to live up to those who have gone this way before. Amen
Catherine Booton
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