. . . the final chapter of a story; leaving your job; separating from a marriage partner. And hardest of all – a last farewell before death.
A good ending for one chapter of life lays a strong foundation for the next. We can look back without regret and forward with courage.
Recently a colleague mentioned he had hung up his stethoscope – the metaphor doctors use for ending their clinical career.
An ache rumbled in my heart.
When I left my full-time clinical post I parachuted out – to safety. No gentle metaphor for me.
A few months before I left someone gave a word of knowledge in our church service about “getting off the bus – God has somewhere else for you to go“. The words hit my heart. I knew my position at work was unsustainable – I could no longer thrive in the environment. And yet part of me was reluctant to let go of all that I had built.
These words gave me the focus I needed and eased the pain.
Within months I was going somewhere else. God opened the door for me to join a team of doctors who coach colleagues – a generative, collaborative, delightful team in which I thrive.
And yet there remained a niggling ache about my clinical role . . until this week.
For the second time I went with friends to a service for prayer and healing. The leader spoke about the story of Gideon and the consequences of holding on to what is not for us – worshipping false gods. The chaplain handed round a basket of stones – large, small, rough or smooth. She invited us to take a stone that would represent something we needed to let go. We could then lay the stone at the foot of the Cross – an outward sign of the inner change as we laid our ‘burden’ down.
I laid down my stethoscope . . . the good ending I needed.
As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him.
Abigail, this definitely pulled on my heart-strings! What a great healing story. :o) A gardening analogy for you……We have a yellow chrysanthemum pot plant, and when it finished flowering, I followed the instructions to cut it back. And now, a few months on, it has grown several new stems at each point where I cut just one back, with embryonic flowers coming on each new stem. So it will have more flowers than before! :o) I feel that this illustrates the importance of pruning in our lives – when we allow God to trim away what is not thriving, and when we let go of things, we allow new growth to replace these. And like the plants, we will bear fruit and thrive.
Janine x
What a great analogy – and so encouraging. Thank you.
xx