Why You Haven’t Left Your Job

It's Thursday afternoon. Most people in the office have ducked out early before the hectic weekend approaches. You're still there. You glance over your shoulder and mosey over to the websites you have saved where you scan the list for new ministry positions. For some reason, you know you need out. Maybe your gifts aren't being used in a way you hoped. Maybe the church is like a suit that just doesn't quite fit. Maybe it's for family reasons. You've been thinking about this move for a while, but something is keeping you in place.

Daniel Gulati recently published an article on why some people simply can't leave their job. It's not because of fear of failure or the unknown. Leaving a job your familiar with can be difficult.

One reason is simple conditioning. We know something is coming around the bend, so we tell ourselves, ""after Christmas is over, I'll get serious about making the jump,"" or ""after the new youth pastor settles in."" These mini-landmarks are enough to keep us in forward motion in our current roles, and that's hard to leave behind.

Also, if you end up making the move - and it's the wrong one - everybody knows. With social media sites like Facebook, updating your company will show up in your timeline. And when you've done it a few times in a short period of time, you wonder what people will think.

There's also a theory that we look for lateral or step-up type moves, thinking that's the win. What if we're supposed to be on an entirely different ship? It's easy to look for something we know, but if we take a moment to recognize and pay respect to our passion and our skills, maybe what we know isn't the path we should continue on.

Your head and your heart are designed to work in conjunction with each other. Solely relying on either when approaching any potential crossroad can be a recipe for disaster. Instead of Jumping off that vocational ledge with only your heart or head in hand, take a holistic approach to the transition. There is a very simple exercise that can help you evaluate your current situation. Take a brief moment to analyze three simple facts about yourself:

• How has God gifted me?
• What are my passions?
• What opportunities are at hand?

Think of these three areas as interlocking circles, where they overlap is where your sweet spot exists.

It's never easy changing jobs, or even careers. But sometimes, you just know it's what you need to do. Take a deep breath, talk with your family or some close friends you can trust. Surround yourself with support and prayer. It may not be easy, but as the saying goes: nothing worth anything is ever easy.