RobAnne and I spent last Friday and Saturday with some really good friends. We’ve known them for fifteen years. We’re both leaders in ministry, and we’ve both spent time reshaping ministries. But they’re about ready to make a big transition – they’ve just taken a really cool job in Seattle.

It was amazing to me, when we talked to both the husband and the wife, to think about different responses to making transitions. They were excited. They had a sense of call. There was a sense of spiritual adventure, a major walk of faith. They are leaving most of their family in southern California. But they somehow, some way felt God had called them to this new ministry, and they were going to walk by faith. It was exciting to be with them. The word “attached” came to my mind. They were attached to the call; they were attached to what God was calling them to do.

Not all of us handle transitions that way. Some of us struggle with trying to cling to the familiar. We try to cling to that which we are comfortable with.

It was really good to be with our friends. They have such a great attitude. There will be tough times for them. There will be moments of despair and even moments of depression and loneliness, but they’re attached to the call.

At one conference we had at Forest Home, one of the speakers was talking to ministers, and he said we must nurture our call, feed our call, care for our call. The more I think about the people who make up this great mission called American Missionary Fellowship, I realize we need to be attached to our call, because that’s what holds us together as a fellowship of Christ-followers, doing what God has called us to do.