Begin and End Well

Beginning well and ending well is so crucial for maintaining good relationships. Often times, a bad first impression can ruin your perception of someone for years and later on you realize you would have been great friends had you only started on the right foot.

Additionally, ending well is essential to closing a chapter and making sure the people in your life know that while circumstances change, your gratitude and relationship with them doesn't have to shift.

As I gear up to move to Thailand, I am feeling the pressure of ending this season well. How do I prepare my family for this dramatic transition? How do I thank my friends for being cornerstones of my life through so many different seasons? How do I honor my Church for the ways they have challenged, equipped, and sent me into new depths with my relationship with the Lord?

Each of these questions weigh heavily on my heart and I've been praying about how ending these situations well can be possible. While I won't be here physically, I can show up mentally, digitally, and spiritually. When I think of someone in my life, I can be intentional to let them know they've been on my heart. I can make a schedule to remind me to check in. Finally, I can be praying specifically that God would be working and moving in the lives of my friends and family.

During this process, I want to include people in the details. I don't assume people want to learn about the process once it is over. I often get so offended when someone updates me about something huge in their life after it's been months since it happened. It can feel like you don't stand as a priority in someone's life, but you are an outsider looking in. I want to be including my people in the process.

I don't want to leave without letting my people know their lives are celebrated by me. I love to celebrate. I think it's my parent's fault. They both show up for everything and make sure even the small details are honored. As I leave, I am praying about how I can celebrate my people's victories and let them know I am walking with them in those things despite the fact that I will be gone when they take place. I am praying how I can celebrate my mom's retirement, my friend's birthdays/marriages/graduations, and the birth of my nephew that will inevitably happen when I am gone. Additionally, I want to celebrate these last few years with my friends, the victories they have had personally, and the ways they have helped me reach new levels of depth and growth as a person.

Please pray I can end this season well so that I can fully embrace what God has in store when I get to Thailand. I think God has prepared me for this transition in a lot of ways, but the people in my life are also being asked to make a sacrifice. So pray for my more understanding from my people, pray for me, and remember that your beginnings and endings matter.