Holding Back In the Short Term

There's several things I've done in my life.

Over the long term.

My marriage.

32 years.

My career.

28 years, I believe.

Relationships.

I still have many from my childhood & high school.

The area where I live.

In Greenwood since 1985.

Long Term.

When I've invested myself.

With people, places and opportunities.

It's been for the long haul.

And.

In my view, it mattered more.

In my understanding, it was more worthwhile.

But not the case.

When I've found myself in the short term.

With people.

Places.

Or opportunities.

That I knew wouldn't necessarily last.

They were temporary.

Brief commitments.

Short term.

And, many times.

I made an intentional decision.

To hold back.

And not invest myself.

I'm only going to be here for a few weeks or months.

There's really no need to get too close.

It's really not going to matter one way or the other.

I intentionally put up walls and boundaries.

Because it was only for the short term.


Have you ever done that?


I have.

I remember one time in particular.

Scott had been taking short term church assignments.

Doing bi-vocational preaching & teaching.

Many times for churches that were looking for a full time pastor.

Or just needed someone to fill in for a specific period of time.

We left our home church.

And for a period of about four or five years.

We moved from one small church to the next.

I'm really a homebody.

It wasn't easy moving from church family to church family.

And after the first assignment.

I could feel myself pulling back.

And not wanting to invest in what I though would be the next short term.

I held back from making relationships.

I held back from giving of myself.

I just plain held back.


Was any permanent damage done to those around me?

Please!

Likely, not!

But,  did I miss out in anyway?

That's the much better question.

I'm certain that I did.

In friendships I didn't make.

In lives that might have blessed mine.

In opportunities that God might have wanted to give me.

But couldn't.

Because I wasn't willing to invest in the short term.

Your short term might be your physical location right now.

Your job might be moving you somewhere else in the next few months or years.

And you're not wanting to invest.

Or it might be in relationships around you.

That co-worker that's in your office.

Or the young mother that lives on your street.

We sometimes see those people as temporary.

And we chose not to invest.

It's easier.

Not to invest.

But, easier.

As I have learned.

Is not always better.

I'm reminded

That God has short term assignments for me.

Short term opportunities He wants to provide me.

But I have to be willing to invest.

Invest myself.

Where I am.

Right now.