Transition

Transition!

What does that word mean to you?  What kind of pictures does it produce in your mind?  What kinds of emotions does it invoke?  For many, this word is too closely associated with change for comfort.  These people don’t like change because it brings uncertainty and discomfort.  Other people love change.  They embrace transition because to them, it brings excitement and refreshment.  Occasionally, these people even create unnecessary change just to make like more exciting.

Which one are you?

The Bible says in II Corinthians 5:17 that "old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”  This is a description of a transition that happens to a person when they are born again.  The Bible also says that we are changed into the image of Jesus while transitioning from “glory to glory” (II Corinthians 3:18).

Besides these, there are many other transitions recorded in the Bible - when Adam and Eve ate the Forbidden Fruit; when Noah and his family entered the boat; when God appeared to Abraham; when Jacob’s name was changed to Israel; when the Nation of Israel left Egypt; when David killed Goliath; when Saul was converted, etc.

One might conclude, then, that God is a God of transitions!

There are many natural transitions that happen in our lives throughout the years.  For instance, the day we were born was a transition and that date comes around each year to remind us that we are forever in transition.  Other things happen like job transferred, getting married, having kids, getting a driver’s license, graduating from school and retirement are all natural transitions that most of us experience.

One might conclude, then, that we are creatures of transition!

So if God is a God of transition and we creatures of transition, what does that say about your life?  Answer: Like it or not, transitions are happening!

So embrace your transition today!  Let these changes come into your life with grace and faith.  Give God permission to take you from one season to another with resistance and negativity.  Let God pour you from vessel to vessel like Jeremiah the prophet described in Jeremiah 48:11, refining and purifying you like the wine makers of his day did in order to create a fine wine.  Embrace change.  Allow it to do its perfect work in your life.  Realize that when one thing comes to and end, it means that God is ready to birth something better.

Transition is inevitable.  Make the best of it!