Transitions are the times and seasons in life when we find that we are in the in-between. We're not there yet. We've not arrived and we find ourselves in the middle--sometimes a very awkward place to be.Every one in my immediate family is in some form of transition. Our oldest son and family are moving to a new location--a new state and into a new job. They are in transition. Our second son is deployed and his wife is at home growing in her pregnancy. They are in transition having never had a child before and not being together in the all important season of pregnancy because he is deployed in the US Army. Our third son is in transition moving to a new city to take a new job and our fourth son and his wife are also in transition. So, as Gwen and I look at our life, we too, are in major transition. We've not lived in our real home for a whole year. We're now in a rented house---looking for a more permanent home.Transitions are a part of the new normal in life when we move, seek jobs, start new relationships, end old ties that we've enjoyed. Transition is ours when we begin something; end something; try something new and embrace a new change in life. Transition is not arriving. It's the middle. It's the time when you've left but you have not arrived. And this particular season is hard, stretching and squeezes our comfort zone and makes us feel, well, uncomfortable. Change is hard.When you read the Scriptures, you find all the characters of the drama of God's history were in transition. They were pilgrims---headed to somewhere different; somewhere other than where they had been. Pilgrimage is a major metaphor of the Christian life. The Scriptures remind us, "Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage." Psalm 84:5. Read that verse again.While in transition, our strength is in God---not ourselves.While in transition, we set our mind on the real goal--the ultimate goal of seeking God and living in God's kingdom.This life---it is all really transition, isn't it. We're always needing to embrace change. Change in our health. The fragile nature of life reminds us of how quickly things change. An unexpected death of a loved one or friend, reminds of the transition of grief. The diagnosis from a doctor puts us in transition when we realize that even our bodies are in a transition. Aging is the transition that prepares us for the next life which is ours in heaven.I find myself praying for my family in this tender time. Big changes are ahead for all of us. Change is in the air. The transition from our Colorado winter to the long awaited summer has been long and arduous. But it is here, finally. The transition of our seasons reminds us that the only constant in life is really God.So placing our daily trust in God--who never changes is indeed my anchor in this big season of transition. The changing seasons remind us that eveything in this life changes. The only rock is God.
