Over at Coffee Talk with John Paul, JP has been posting an excellent series of articles on Transition. Since just about everyone I know is in the midst of some type of transition, I thought I would add my two cents on the topic. Here are a few helpful tips for navigating change well.
We serve a never changing God of change. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today & forever” (Hebrews 13:8). God never changes, never. However, he is alive and active. We feel the effect of his life and activity all around us and from our limited perspective it feels like and is in fact change. Yet he himself remains solid, stable, immovable and never changing. You can always trust and depend on him.
He takes away to establish. (Hebrews 10:9). Remember, God doesn’t take away just to take away, he takes away to establish. He takes away the old order to establish the new order. We all want the new wine but new wine requires new wine skins. If God’s taking away… let go.
In Jesus’ day those most passionately resistant to change were the Pharisees. They refused to let go of the old and embrace the new, even when God himself came in the flesh to establish it. We don’t want to be Pharisees.
Love is often a casualty of change. Amidst the chaos of change we must submit our need to be right underneath the greater value of love. It is always more important to love than it is to be right, always. Love always looks like it’s losing, until it isn’t, consider Calvary.
The Emphasized Bible has a unique translation of Isaiah 43:19, it interprets the traditional “See I’m doing a new thing, now it springs up, do you not perceive it?” as “Behold Me! Doing a new thing.” God is in fact doing a new thing in many of our lives. Remember this, it’s his job to do the new thing, it’s your job to behold him. It’s so easy to drift from the Lord while navigating these transitional phases of life. In these ever changing seasons determine to fix your eyes on Jesus. He truly is the author and finisher of your faith.
May we all run as to finish the race…
© Tom Zawacki 2008
Art Credit: Shane Rickman’s Fall of Transition
Transition is hard, but navigating it well is important. Thanks honey for the reminders as to not give up and finish well.
ReplyDeleteGood word. I'm glad He's in charge of the change. Have a great weekend.
ReplyDeleteHmm...you give me life, my friend. My Spirit feels about 10lbs lighter this morning...thank you
ReplyDelete- Ty
All I can say is, it's a good thing we're all in this "change" thing together. It really does help to know you're not alone in this world, nor in your struggles through times of transition!
ReplyDeleteThanks!
Excellent word Tom. Thanks for taking the time to help us all, by putting words to the issues, and hope to the possibilites. Behold Him. That is good reminder, to focus on Him and not all the ...change.
ReplyDeleteI will take a peek over at JP's blog.
Change? I know nothing about that. Why I haven't had to undergo monumental change in - say - the last 2 months!
ReplyDeleteSeriously - it has all been good. We haven't lost any friends but we have gained many more. We lost some things along the way that God showed us we had grown attached to. We have gained more than what we have lost but I think the most we have gained was the opportunity to see that He faithfully leads us through it. I believe he gets a thrill out of showing us people/ places / things that he knows we will love.