Transition...Boom! Boomers! Believers!





I'm noticing a current common thread... transition.

Boomers are retiring at a rate of 17,000 a day;
as a people group they are in major life change.

...Transition:
tran·si·tion tranˈziSH(ə)n,tranˈsiSH(ə)n/
noun: transition; plural noun: transitions
1.the process or a period of changing from one state or condition to another.

synonyms:
change, passage, move, transformation, conversion, metamorphosis, alteration, handover, changeover; segue, shift, switch, jump, leap, progression;progress, development, evolution, flux

Transition is an interesting place to be for a believer.

Transition is simply moving from one place to another, or shifting from one stage in life to a different stage, or leaving one season by stepping into another season.

However, the process of transition certainly can stir up nervous water.

Faith, Doubt..Trust.
Having a healthy mindset is important in the midst of transition.
Some people believe the best is yet to come...Others, not so much.

The light at the end of the tunnel is a) an oncoming train, b) a new sense of purpose, and destiny is ahead. 
In reality, some people who find themselves in transition often have a bouncing... faith to doubt, doubt to faith pattern until their faith eventually morphs into trust. 

If your faith / trust has been damaged, it may take some time to find your feet. 

The process of transition often reveals what is in our heart.
Do we have faith? Are we living with fear? Why are we afraid? Why are our buttons being pushed? Are we secure in Whose we are, and who we are?

If you have been running full steam ahead. Slowing down will be difficult. One friend told me he felt like a parachute had been pulled... everything suddenly stopped. Time was needed to regroup, think ahead and make a plan.

Most of the time people who find themselves in a season of transition don't see all that is ahead. This can be frustrating.

Sometimes people in transition just have a sense change is coming, or they may only see a glimpse of the next step.

We have lights under our church building's balcony. The lights shine circles that illuminate one small area, then there is a space of darkness until the next light illuminates the next circle of light. Moving forward in the midst of transition is similar. 

Seeking guidance from a friend or counselor before or after moving into the dark spaces can be helpful.



Remember transitioning is a process. 
Here are a few tips:
  • Today, becomes today tomorrow, so let go of tomorrow's concerns today.
  • Live one day at a time, one step at a time.
  • Live life fully in today while today is still called today. 
  • Seek to encourage one person every day. 
  • Decide what you think really matters.
  • Determine to position yourself to increase your faith.
     
  • Schedule time to draw near to Jesus in a full assurance. Pour out your heart
    Worship.
    Journal.
    Wait.
    Listen.
  • Believe.Believe He is at work beyond what you see with your natural eye. He is at work in you.
    Believe He will never leave you.
    Believe He will always guide you.
    Believe He will always provide for you. 
    Believe He is a good, good Father perfect in all of His ways.

    Here is a great quote from Steve Backlund's book Victorious Mindsets:
Believing good things are coming is really another word for hope. 
Hope can be defined as “the confident expectation that good is coming”. 
Hope is an overall optimism about the future. 
It is rooted in a revelation of God’s goodness and His promises.

1 comment:

Jim Mather said...

Excellent