Transition: Can this be OVER now?

Transition.
So what goes through your mind when you read that word?

My immediate thoughts go to the first time I heard that word transition, as a young mother-to-be.  I was reading my book and came to the part where they described what takes place once the actual labor process had begun.  Some of you may have read that same book....you know, the one that told us labor was all about breathing correctly, and if your partner squeezed your ankle at just the right time you could 'ride' out any contraction.  Right.  (Somewhere after I had dilated to 8, I forgot reading that page and threatened to disembowel anyone who touched me, let alone squeezed my ankle...).

Transition, as defined by the dictionary, is "a passage from one state, subject, or place to another." And another further definition says "an abrupt change in energy state or level".

Change. Passage. Abrupt.  

Scary words perhaps to some who may have a negative perspective on changing, passages, and especially if they are happening ABRUPTLY!!!  Is that you?  Sorry....just putting that last word in caps probably gave you the willies, yeah?

Myself, I love change.

Rearrange the furniture.  Freshen bulletin boards.  From blonde to brown to both.  Instead of a Lesson Plan, go outside.  Add a new unheard-of ingredient to my 40 year-old recipe.

Passages have been a joy for me.

Stay- at- home mommy to part time waitress.  Daily devotions and quiet time to teaching classes to international students and pastors.  Full house to empty-nest and only the two of us.

Abrupt brings to my mind the word surprise.  And I love surprises!  Giving them and getting them!

So why is it, we often have such a hard time during those transitions that our Lord brings to us?

(Well, in the case of child birth, in my opinion, it depends greatly on the teacher of those classes!  If they are honest, upfront, revealing, and don't try to make you believe its as "simple and natural as a tiny flower pushing its way through the soil"....REALLY??!.... then, perhaps you can brace yourself and prepare for it physically, mentally and emotionally.  Maybe.)

But when it comes to those Life Transitions....where God has you waiting for what He has promised you....it is absolutely imperative that one listen carefully and take notes from The Teacher in order to make it to the next level.

For those of you who just said "Oh, I'm not a note-taker, I'll get it!" : may I warn you ever so nicely, that when you are truly in the throes of transition, chances are great that you will NOT be able to recall most of what He brought to you before it hit!  I love what a popular Bible teacher recently said after her divorce and the death of her grown daughter: "When you are in the dark, remember what He said to you in the light."    So get a notebook or use those blank pages in the back of your Bible. Write it down.

And while The Teacher is giving you instruction, maybe you can profit from some of the lessons I have learned---and AM learning---while in transition myself.

DON'T PUSH.

During childbirth, if you start to push during transition it will NOT help the baby be born.  In fact, it can delay it's arrival, due to your swollen cervix that has not fully dilated.

So it is with those dreams, goals and promises.  Don't try to push your way in (or out!); don't force circumstances or contacts or relationships.  Just go one day at a time and let things happen naturally. I admit this is TOUGH, especially if you are a 'do-er' like me, and it 'looks' like nothing is happening!

CHECK YOUR "GOD, YOU SAID..." FILE OFTEN.

On the wallpaper of my phone is the phrase "Lord, You said..."    It is a constant reminder to check my heart for His Word(s) to me.

Sometimes its a video teaching sent to me from a friend as encouragement, and didn't even realize it was the very answer I had prayed for that morning.

Or it could be that song...the one that says EXACTLY what you would say if Jesus was standing right in front of you in your bedroom where you've dropped to the floor in a surrendered heap.

Clippings from devotions you cut out and stuffed in your wallet; prophetic words given directly to you from a man/woman of God;  a memento of a day He met you on your exercise walk that said "I'm here, trust Me."

Go to that file and remind yourself what your Abba Father has said will come, will be yours.

KEEP BUSY DOING WHAT YOU'RE DOING NOW.

When my Kindergarteners know it is a special "party day"....I try to fill the day with activity and work leading up to that fun hour.   Even though it was early morning when I told them it would be at the end of the day (an eternity for those 5 year-olds!) they are always pleasantly surprised how fast the time passed!  

So it is in transition.

Read that new book you bought and haven't started yet.   Make coffee dates and dinner plans with friends and family you haven't seen lately.  Splurge on yourself and get a new outfit or pair of shoes, or both!  Spend the weekend out of town.  Watch a movie you think is not your style, but a friend has been bugging you for years to try.  Play golf TWICE in one week!  Find a cause you believe in and get involved, even its only an hour or two a week/month.

If you work outside your home, write down and answer some honest questions for yourself.

Do I contribute the most I possibly can to this place?
Is there something I could change to make things easier for a co-worker or my boss?
If I left this job, would I leave some sort of legacy in my place, or would they do the dance of joy on my exit? (I'm thinking of that monastery scene when Ace Ventura leaves....lol)

Don't get caught in the mindset that because you know something new is coming you figure it is ok to just sit and do the same 'ole, same 'ole.   WRONG.  Fill those empty moments, those unsure days of waiting, waiting, waiting with something.  Time will pass much quicker, I promise.

One of my favorite pastors said recently "Transition is a very difficult, uncomfortable place to be in for this main reason:  you are not 'back there', but neither are you 'there'."   OH MY, OH MY.  That nailed it for me.

Just like giving birth, when you hit transition there is no going back (the baby IS coming) but you don't see or hold that precious bundle as yet either (do I care what it looks like, no! just come OUT!).......So, when I find myself in a Life Transition I will:

....breeeeeathe slowly, taking in His grace and love that brings much-needed strength to my exhausted mind and emotions;

....hone in on the days' focal point that keeps me on task, reminding me its not just about ME, that others can and will be helped even in small ways, minute by minute, hour by hour, day by day;

....rest in between 'contractions', those moments when its quiet and I can hear His voice and feel His touch, even when I can't see His face as yet.

Transition.  Whew.  Not a fun place to be.

But oh, the reward.

II Corinthians 2:9   "What no eye has seen, no ear has heard and what no human mind has conceived, the things God has prepared for those who love Him..."