Going Through Life’s Transitions

The word transition is defined as movement, passage, or change from one position or stage. Transitions generally require a paradigm shift, a new way of thinking and doing if one wants to pass through this journey successfully. Our world right now seems to be in a big, monumental time of change! I’m sure you can relate to this right now! Maybe you are facing a job change, a new assignment from the Lord, becoming an empty nester, or perhaps you are waiting for God to change something in your family or life. I so appreciate the God never changes! He IS faithful and never-ending. James 1:17, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”  Psalms 54:4 says, “But the Lord God has become my divine helper. He leans into my heart and lays his hands upon me!”

Our royal identity can come into question in a transitional time! You might think the Lord is mad at you because He appears quiet during your transitional time, and you wonder what is going on!  If you’re like me, you need hope and encouragement during your transitional times! Can we say like David did in Psalms 51:12  “Let my passion for life be restored, tasting joy in every breakthrough you bring to me. Hold me close to you with a willing spirit that obeys whatever you say.”

It is normal to experience some challenges during transition. Communicating how you feel with the Lord and a loved one and journaling your thoughts helps to gain clarity about what is happening. These endings in life that occur right before a transition can create great joy or depression, fear, grief, and confusion. As humans we want to do something, anything, to get past these hard and mostly sufferable moments. Sometimes by, pausing and thinking about what is occurring aids with the anxiety of change. Notice when you are compressing anxiety within or stuffing your thoughts and feelings inside. While most BIG changes can be sudden and abrupt, I have found a transitional waiting period can take much longer to complete. Transitions are the space in between change and a true and new beginning.

2 Corinthians 4:18 is such a great reminder to me! “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

Giving God gratitude in the transitional moments moment is helpful and gives hope to us when so much of transitioning seems out of our control. Getting into the Secret Place with Jesus, keeps our hearts healthy and unfettered with the happenings around us! Praying and meditating upon the lover of our soul while taking a walk, running, or exercising relaxes our body and mind making it easier to hear Him speaking to you!

Heb.12:1-3 “Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before Him, He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” Jesus scorned the shame of the cross, and we can scorn the shame of our transition! Certainly, He who gave us salvation will certainly help us through our transitional time! We are not to grow weary and lose heart! We are to rise up and realize that we’re not dwelling here on the earth but we are seated in the heavenly’s with Jesus! Eph. 2:6 says, “And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus.”

This is our true identity! Our identity is so important to God! When we believe God and what He says about us, then we can walk out our life in Him and His peaceful, hopeful love. We can run, into our God-given purpose, His divine plan for our lives, when we believe what He believes about us and what He says about us. He will give you the courage to complete the mission that He’s given you! Love for Jesus will give you strength, endurance, and perseverance, and an unrelenting pursuit of Him! All the while, He has been pursuing you even more! So, take a deep breath and let His sweet presence come in right now and began to help you. Here’s a visual reminder: a beautiful monarch butterfly has to go through a transitional time as well. He starts as a very hungry caterpillar and then has to spin into a chrysalis. Finally, the transformation from caterpillar to butterfly is complete about 2 weeks later! His eyesight dramatically improves from what it was when it was a caterpillar, and its eyes will be quite large. Hmmm…I wonder if our eyesight, the eyes of our spiritual heart can dramatically improve our vision of God, Jesus and Holy Spirit in our transitional time as we “sit” at the feet of Jesus, seeking Him alone for help and loving guidance? I sure pray so!

Let us pray: Lord God, thank you for your help and loving guidance in our transitional time. Lord, help us rediscover you and your goodness and how amazing you truly are! Help us to know your love today! We choose to be expectant because you are the God of the impossible, creating miracles in our lives! You are our God, of ALL HOPE! In Jesus’ holy Name we pray, Amen.