In Chapter 16 of King’s Cross, author Timothy Keller contrasts living completely in the values of the kingdom of this world with belonging to the kingdom of God. When we’ve been spiritually, emotionally and professionally uprooted by our ministry downsizing or position loss, our natural human tendency is to feel a loss of identity as we evaluate that loss by worldly standards.
However, since we are in Christ, that is not the end of the story. Or, as famed commentator Paul Harvey used to say- “and now for the rest of the story”. For those rooted in the kingdom of God, Pastor Keller notes:
” . . . you know losing your job is not going to be easy or pleasant, but you have learned that when weakness and suffering, poverty and rejection are near, the kingdom of God is near. It’s the time when you come to grips with your real treasure, your true identity. You work, but your work does not define you (italics mine) . . . . You are replacing the kingdom of this world with the kingdom of God.”
“But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven . . . . For where your treasure is, there you heart will be also.”- Matthew 6:20-21
