When life makes no sense

What I am about to share is something that I believe many of you will find very encouraging, especially if you are going through a season that simply doesn’t make sense.

This is exactly how I would describe the chapter in our life before the Lord moved me down to Twickenham to lead TGBC. At the end of 2022, the Lord made it clear to us that our time at Blackburn had come to an end and that we should pack our bags and get ready to be moved to another assignment. So, we took a big step of faith and, without knowing where the Lord would send us next, we sold our house and transitioned out of our previous Church – handing the keys to my former assistant in November. We thought that 12 months would have been long enough for the Lord to point us in the right direction, but the process took much longer than we ever imagined. Many ministry opportunities arose for me during that time, as well as very lucrative job offers. But each time we felt the Lord was saying “No” – something that became increasingly difficult to hear.

Not many of you will know this but, among other things, I have a past in trade. I was to be the 3^rd generation of plumbers in the family’s business (Pastorello Impianti SNC). From a leaking tap to solar panels we were the guys to call! Not only was that my full-time job before I moved to the UK in 2009, but every summer holiday, which in Italy is 3 months long, my dad would rescue my mum and take me to work with him. The skills he passed on to me over the years became very useful in many circumstances, but even more so just before I joined TGBC. A friend of mine, who is also my scuba diving instructor, had started a damp-proofing business and, as work started coming in, he reached out to me for help. Definitely not what I was aspiring to do, but I had to pay the bills and my friend knew it would only be a temporary arrangement. So, for the following three months, I worked with him as a damp-proof technician (see attached picture).

While I enjoyed working with my hands alongside my friend, that period just didn’t make any sense to me. One day, I ended up doing a job for someone who had been a member of my previous church for 16 years. The scene was surreal for both of us. As I stood on a tall ladder, I began to pray and ask God: “Is this really all part of your plan?”

That moment came back to me last week when we came face to face with the serious penetrating damp in the back hall and tried to figure out what was causing the issue and how to resolve it in a way that wouldn’t break the Church’s bank. For, thanks to those 3 months, I wasn’t flying blind. I was able to identify the “gimmicks” of a damp-proofer who did an initial assessment and find a way to rectify the issue in a far more cost-effective way. Not only that, just today I reached out to my friend to get him to order and deliver highly specialised materials at a fraction of the cost.

The moral of the story is that it’s all TGBC’s fault if I ended up working as a damp-proof technician for 3 months! Joking aside, the moral of the story is that with God, nothing is ever wasted. Even the worst and most painful chapters of our lives can find meaning and constructive use when we entrust them to His hands. If, like me, you find yourself going through a season that isn’t just challenging but makes very little sense, know that it is not without a purpose. You may not see it today but, if you keep on trusting the Lord, it will become evident.