Was I rejected/betrayed by my friend or am I overthinking it?

About two years ago, I was invited to join a ministry at my church. This person became a dear friend of mine. He is elderly and wanted me to take over the ministry when he retired.

Last fall, I went away indefinitely. I was not replaced in the ministry, and there was nobody new. My friend told me, of course he wanted me to come back, but he wanted to give me time to settle in. Later on, he said he wanted to wait much longer. Later on, he said he was hesitant because he didn't want to change the schedule of other members. Finally, he told me the other night that he definitely doesn't want me back and he is considering someone else. He said it's because I'm involved in other ministries. However, I had been involved in other ministries before too, and that didn't affect my dedication to this ministry and he still wanted me to take over when he retired.

So now I feel gutted. He went from wanting me to take over after he left, and from definitely wanting me back... to definitely not wanting me back. He would've known this before, as he already had someone in mind.

How do I let this go? I find that this also makes me feel rejected and betrayed. He should have been straightforward sooner if he didn't want me to return. For months, he only ever gave indication that I would come back... just not yet.

I just feel really hurt about this.

Does anyone have any advice?

Thank you.