"What Are You Afraid to Leave Behind?"

We all know what it feels like to leave behind what's familiar — a home, a role, a comfort zone — and step into something unknown. This episode of Tracks for the Journey, draws on the words of Jesus on the night before the cross — "Come now, let us leave" — to explore why change is so hard, and why it might be exactly what we need. From biblical figures like Abraham, Ruth, and Mary Magdalene, to a personal story of leaving pastoral ministry for hospital chaplaincy, LP unpacks the grief and gift that comes with every departure. And yes — Tim Walz even makes an appearance as a modern-day example of someone who left his comfort zone and changed history.

Listening to this episode will help you:

• Understand why change feels like loss — and find peace with that
• Recognize the invitation hidden inside life's dislocations and transitions
• Find spiritual grounding when you're being asked to leave behind a place, a past, or a fear
• See your own journey reflected in the stories of Scripture and everyday people

Transcript

When did you leave home? For all of us there was a time when we left our home of origin and moved out on our own. For some it may have been to go to boot camp, to their college dorm, to take a job in a different town, or just spread their wings for new adventures. For me and Jan it was to be married and move into our own apartment to start life together.  Okay, I’ll admit the new place was only three miles away from the houses we grew up in—but it was our place! The psychological distance brought a far greater distance than we had ever experienced.

Let me share some thoughts about change from the story of Jesus on the night before the cross. The disciples would be launched on a life-changing journey. God is with us on ours and it may lead to some unexpected places.

On his last night of earthly ministry, Jesus taught the disciples for hours. Then came a moment of dramatic change. John 14: 31c “Come now, let us leave.” As John tells the story, they left the upper room and made their way across the Kidron Valley to the Mt of Olives and the Garden of Gethsemane. In a few hours their lives would change forever. 

These words of Jesus invited these men to come on a journey that would leave behind the life they knew and go to places they could not even dream.

God has asked this very action of many persons in Scripture. Some of the ‘leavings’ of Scripture include

• Abram left Ur to leave his family home for a new land
• Ruth left Moab with her mother-in-law to go to Bethlehem 
• Jonah packed his bags and had an unexpected deep sea adventure 
• Joseph, Mary, and their baby left Israel in the middle of the night to go to Egypt 

·         Mary Magdalene left her house on Sunday morning and then had a workout running to her friend’s house with very upsetting news from a cemetery 

There seems to be a common thread in these Bible stories. These people experienced pain, confusion, and dislocation. We can identify with this because we feel the same when we are asked to leave our comfort zones. Why is leaving painful? Because we are forced to change. Change is painful. We always perceive change as loss. We are threatened by change. We resist it.

One of my largest changes was from a senior pastor role to a chaplain role. I had relished the role of preacher and the challenge of building programs that would meet the needs of people. There came a time though when I felt like my vision for the direction of the church and the leaders’ ideas were different. Leaving that behind was hard. I felt sad for what I was leaving behind and uncertain how this change would work out. Yet over time I was blessed to find a deeply satisfying work with chaplains and the patients at the hospital.

What would Jesus be calling us to leave today?

He might call us to leave our place and go in a new direction. Senior adults are often forced to make changes like this. A widow moves from the house she and her husband had built… The place we leave may not be a geographical one. It might be a place of power, where you had always been independent but now a disease has brought dependence and weakness…

Jesus might call us to leave our past. This can be liberating. Many people have a past that is dragging them down. They live under the weight of failures and heartbreaks that are slowly crushing them. Others live with wounds that have never healed and are slowly poisoning them with the gangrene of bitterness. 

Jesus might be asking us to leave our perturbations, the things that throw us into agitation, confusion and worry. Do you worry each day? A large percentage of older adults have a worry disorder. Here’s a test to see if you have it. How many are worried that you might have this disorder? You do. Jesus calls us to leave our worries and walk with him by faith.  

What happened to these men after Jesus said, “Rise, let us be on our way.” They are caught up in the most important 72 hours of history. God would change everything as they left the upper room after celebrating the Passover as their ancestors had done for centuries.  Beyond that night, what happened to them? A vision of Jesus as no human had ever been before would come. A moving of God’s Spirit bringing a courageous boldness would blow upon them. Yet there would also be conflict, opposition, and even martyrdom as they took the message to the world. History has tried to follow them beyond the pages of Scripture. We don’t know in detail what happened. But we do know the message they spread caught fire and changed history.

                I have admired Tim Walz, the governor of Minnesota and running mate of Kamala Harris. He had a great career as a high school teacher and coach. The students loved him for his wisdom and mentorship. But something was working in a deeper way as his teaching brought out the unmet needs of his world. His students saw in him a passion to make a difference for good and for all in the community. They encouraged him to move beyond the classroom and put his ideas into practice. He became a campaign volunteer and then took the bold step to put his name on the ballot. In a surprise win he was elected to the US House of Representatives—and repeated that five more times. This propelled him to the governorship and one of the most popular and productive administrations in Minnesota history. Tim was, and is, a man who was willing to leave a comfort zone and strike out to a new land.

When Jesus says ‘Come,’ then we must leave where we are and who we are. We will never be the same—and that is the miracle of transforming, divine love.