Embrace The Transition

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Transition: not the most popular life event. Have you ever heard someone say, “Ooh, I can’t wait for this transition process to start!”? Probably not…

Because transition is tough. It takes us from our comfort zone to an uncomfortable sense of new. From starting school to changing careers to welcoming a new pet, transition tests us. Yet with God-orchestrated transition comes triumph!

The right transitions in life are the hinges from which the best doors of opportunity swing open.

Here are four ways to embrace every life transition:

(1) Prepare Like A Pro

We’ve all seen this unfortunate scenario: the entrepreneur who has an ambitious business idea but lacks adequate preparation. Their business plan is inflexible or bare bones, the vision for the business is unclear, and the target market is unknown.

When this entrepreneur transitions from their day job to pursuing “the American dream,” it is extremely difficult. Not necessarily because they lack an immediate profit, but rather because they lack an intricate plan for success.

Another preparation issue is leaving God out. He tells us, "Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established" (Proverbs 16:3). Established with God sounds much better than flaky and shaky on my own! Give your plans to God from the start.

Maybe your transition is from being a working mom to being a full-time stay-at-home mom. Maybe it is moving from one state (or even country!) to a new place. In any case, prepare. Research. Learn the “job lingo” or language of your new environment beforehand as much as you can. The classic saying, “failing to plan is planning to fail” does apply!

(2) Trust God’s Timeline and Wisdom

In today’s society, people want what they want and want it now. Not later. As quickly as a microwave, many people expect success to pop like popcorn onto the plate of their lives. They don’t want to listen. Why listen to a wise person with years of wisdom in your field when you have Chat GPT? Siri? Alexa? Use these resources if you like but absorb God’s irreplaceable Word and the advice of trusted mentors as well, especially when it comes to timing. Pray:

Lord, I know that my life is but a blink of an eye in the face of eternity. You know the end before the beginning. I trust Your timing. Show me when to make the transition from ______ to ______.

Trusting God’s timeline will make your transition smoother (and possibly decrease transition time too!).

(3) Keep Your Eye on The Prize

Have you ever moved to a new home before? A grueling, tedious, and time-consuming transition this is! I remember seeing a plaque in a store that read, “Real friends don’t ask friends to help them move.” I don’t necessarily agree (depends on the circumstances), but I can appreciate that humor: moving is a lot to ask of anyone!

Yet we all must move at some point in our lives. U-Haul does not appear to have any trouble finding customers. Despite the difficulties of moving, we move with a goal in mind: to be close to family, have a spacious house, advance our career, return to our homeland, or experience a different culture are among popular moving goals.

Whatever your life transition, keep your eyes on the prize. The process may not be peachy, but the process leads to the prize at hand!

(4) Give Yourself Grace

Striving for perfection can be positive—we all should aim far and high when we swing the bat of transition. But when perfection becomes an obsession, this is dangerous for two reasons: (1) our needed stamina to complete the transition gets depleted and (2) you may overlook growth during the transition process.

I think retirement is a perfect example: when we don’t immediately find a new sense of purpose during the transition period, we start to feel drained and emotionally depleted. Instead of growing into this new role as a retiree, we waste time wondering why retirement doesn’t immediately equate to the joy of a dream vacation. Ironically, what is often a time to "slow down" lacks grace to slowly do so.

As yeast settles into water and flour to form dough, remember that you too must settle into every life transition. Give yourself grace. Receive God’s grace and lean on His strength. He tells us, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Conclusion

As the leaves, trees, and all waltz into fall, nature reminds us of transition. As my friend recently described beautifully, the transition from summer to fall is so pretty. What we must also remember is while the trees undergo this gorgeous transition, one season is ending—dying—and another begins. Yet you rarely hear people say, “Oh no, I can’t live without summer!” Instead, we are ready to embrace fall:

•     Landscapers have lawn maintenance equipment loaded (prepare)

•     The timing of autumn is trusted and expected (God’s timing)

•     We look forward to refreshingly crisp air and fall’s beauty (eye on the prize)

•     We give our bodies grace to adjust to cooler temperatures and more leaves to clean! (grace)

  
  

We are all on the journey called life. The milestones are typically the headlines…

Yet the binding process of each one deserves a selfie, too! Transitions bind together every chapter of our lives. Strength and wisdom stir within that binding. Take hold of them both.