Transition

What makes change difficult is the transition from what is known to the unfamiliar.

In the process, things can be unsettling even tumultuous. There is a temptation to return to a state of normalcy but there is a defining moment when you cross the line. There is no going back. You can't imagine returning to a life which has become predictable and frustrating as a yearning daily increases to stretch, grow and learn.

As the hours and hundreds of miles pass, the Pacific Northwest, a season of 14 years is distancing. Strangely, I remember some highlights, close friends and a loving church which we attended for many years. But in this transition from a familiar and well-worn season, there is a growing anticipation for the new and unknown.

When the Israelites were preparing to cross the Jordan into the Promised Land, the officers said, "When you see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the Levitical priests carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it.Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before. But keep a distance of about two thousand cubits between you and the ark; do not go near it." (Joshua 3:3-4, NIV).

What makes any change possible and for a smooth transition, is when you follow the Lord's leading. Don't slack your pace out of fear and unbelief nor rush ahead in your own strength. The Israelites had to keep a distance from the ark because the presence of the Lord is to be treated with reverence and awe.

Giants were ahead and the wilderness where the 1st generation died in unbelief was behind them. In the middle, was the presence of God making a way into a new chapter for the nation, for a people God was leading to possess the land promised long ago to Abraham.

Remember, beloved, transition is part of the work of transformation. We are moving from glory to glory