Transitional Living

  • Mike Rydman
  • Jun 13, 2007

Transitional Living

I was writing in my prayer journal this morning, and found myself praying for an unusually high number of friends and family who are living through transition right now. For many, it is job transition. For some others, it is the desire for job transition. And for some other dear folks, it is the blessed transition from being single to marriage. In the midst of this, many people I know are also seeing transition in friendships and in some cases are transitioning from couples without children to impending parenthood.

Usually, I am the one in transition. Over the years I have become comfortable with transitions in my life, and the people in my life have become accustomed with me appearing to be in a constant state of change. Many of you reading this have walked with me through transitions from one church job to another. In the 90's I transitioned from vocational ministry to four different jobs in the marketplace in the space of almost nine years. Then, as we entered the new century I again transitioned from the marketplace back into church work. Then again in 2005 I transitioned from a staff position at a large church to lead a church plant.

I am evidently just fine with change and transition in my own life. I like the newness that change brings. I also admit that I can easily become bored with the same old same old. But I've also come to realize that people enter into transition with varying degrees of comfort and expectation. I easily identify with people who embrace change; the ones who seem to appreciate challenge over comfort. For others, however, change is something to be feared, at least initially, and so for them the process of transition is perhaps more of a long-term process.

I read somewhere that "growth requires change, and change usually involves a certain amount of pain." So, if any of us are to grow, we must assume that some difficulty will be involved in that growth process. Embracing pain of any kind, however, is counter-intuitive. As members of the human species we are designed to avoid pain. Somewhere in Maslow's hierarchy of needs is the "need to avoid pain." (He didn't really say that; I'm just reading between the lines.) If this theory holds true, then for many of us avoiding pain is more important than personal growth, and comfort is a higher value than growing beyond our present status. This even permeates our relationship with Jesus.

This has caused me to think about the many times I have chosen comfort over the challenge that any growth process includes. It's almost like I've wanted the Holy Spirit to 'sanctify" me, to grow me more so into the likeness of Jesus, but I have also been motivated to avoid pain, and thus have created internal conflict that doesn't easily resolve.

For me, and maybe for you, it comes down to something I don't want to address - my faith in God. Our current sermon series in Romans, and our small group's current study in Zechariah are running in parallel tracks, both speaking to the grace of God unto salvation, and how we can trust God to be true to His Word. What am I trying to say? Our faith asks but one question: Do I trust God, especially when I am in transition?

Do I trust God to transition me closer to Him? Do I trust God for His will for me, rather than my will for myself? Do I think His ideas for me are best, or do I still think my ideas of myself and for myself have ultimate and eternal value above all others? And finally, can I embrace with faith and joy the transitions God leads me to and through?

"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me." (Psalm 23:4)

Shadow of death? This alludes to the world we live in, but (if I can make a stretch in order to make it personal) it can also involve the shadow of death to our ideas and agendas of what we believe to be best and right for ourselves. I don't like "dying to myself," but I sure do like the idea of God allowing me to fear no evil, and being comforted by Him as I do renounce my desires for comfort in order to trust His leading. This verse also tells me some of God's methodology: He uses (in reverse order) a staff to pull me out of bad places, and a rod to hit me over the head when I'm too headstrong and stiff-necked to want to follow Him and His ways. Both the rod and the staff are used to lead me.

For once, I'm not the guy in transition. (Of course, with me this is only a temporary state.) You however may be in transition and change...or wanting to be okay with transition and change. Maybe your transition is something you've wanted for a while. Maybe your transition is being foisted upon you against your better judgment. In any respect, and as one who knows first-hand, I can tell you that God is with you now, He will walk with you through the changes, and He is already there to meet you when you come through the dark tunnel of transition into the light of His good pleasure. Maybe you'll even be able to look backward and someday say, "Oh, now I can see God's loving hand in this! He really knew what He was doing."

So, you can embrace change, even the changes that lead you into the unknown. God can be known, and even better, He knows you. Praise God, for loving us enough to take us into transitions and changes that can, and most likely will result in a stronger faith. He is the God Who never changes, but He invites change into our lives in order to grow our hearts toward Him. That's a good thing!