Embracing Change: Finding Strength and purpose in Life’s Transitions

I would like to take a moment to reflect on the concept of transition and the impact it has on our lives.

What is transition?

A transition is a defined period of time where one phase or period of an individual’s development ends and another phase or period begins.

Transitions move you from one place to somewhere else, cause you to leave one season to enter another, and represent an in-between period in someone’s life.

It represents a time when we are moving from one state to another, and often requires us to bid farewell to the past in order to embrace the next stage of our journey.

Whether it's a change in a job, a role, a relationship, our health, our location, or even the passing of a loved one, transitions move us into the next stage and shape our personal development and propel us towards our destiny.

It’s in transition that we learn what worked before no longer works now. 

My time of personal transition…

In 2019, I began to realize I was in a major transition, and the wake of that transition is still rippling. It was during this time that my family and I found ourselves faced with some significant life changes. 

It started with the sudden death of our dog. I know to some this may not seem like a big deal, but the loss of our beautiful husky Neiko left a massive empty space in our home. Who knew a pet could take up that much space in your heart? 

Shortly after this loss, my pastor was diagnosed with stage 4 melanoma and passed away within a year of his diagnosis. This happened right before the pandemic, which also caused our church to shut down. 

During this time, the business that my husband had built also took some major hits, and we had to make the hard decision to close it down along with selling what we had believed would be our forever home. 

In the middle of selling our business and getting our home ready to sell, my husband was diagnosed with stage 4 prostate cancer and was given a very grim prognosis, one of our sons accidentally overdosed and needed 2 shots of naloxone to bring him back, and I also had major changes to some key relationships that ended up breaking apart to the point of being non-repairable.

Just ONE of these major life transitions could have brought a grown man to his knees!

And it actually did! It brought my husband and myself to a place of complete and utter surrender. We had zero control of what was happening to us and around us. Our lives were literally in the hands of God.

At this point, the entire world was in transition because of the pandemic. Everything had shut down and no one knew what was going to happen next.

But isn't that just like transition? It can feel like you’re being pushed out of your last season and away from everything you are familiar with while still unable to fully see or understand where you’re supposed to go next!

In 2022, the transition continued when we moved from Washington state to Merced, California to be closer to our church in Turlock. This proved to be the best thing for my husband, myself and our family!

It has been over four years since the beginning of our major transition. So much has happened since that time and so much is still happening! 

We are still in the transition phase as we are making another move to a new home in Hilmar, California, which will bring us even closer to our church.

Embracing the change…

In the middle of all the packing and planning for this current move, I began to reflect on transition and all that comes with it. I now have a deeper understanding of what that word means and what it can do. 

Transition can either cause you to grow or keep you from growing. In the middle of transition, you may feel you have no choice or control over what happens. However, you can control and choose how you respond.

Transition can push you deeper into the arms of a loving Father and cause you to do the hard work required to become who He has intended. Your destiny is found in transition. Your identity is formed in the place of His presence, but you have to choose His presence to find it. 

What was meant to break me and my family only caused us to fall into the arms of a God who was strong enough to carry us through the pain and all of the unknowns.

You may find yourself in the beginning, middle, or end of a transition as you read this. If so, I pray you would also find yourself in the center of the One who is able to carry you through the pain and unknowns as He leads you to your destiny and forms your identity. May the God of peace satisfy you with His presence in the midst of chaos. 

I pray that Jesus Christ be your firm foundation when all hell is crashing in. I pray that Holy Spirit speak ever so clearly in the loudness of the storm. May you find yourself in the center of His will and may you encounter the One who sees you. 

You have not been forgotten and left to survive on your own. You've been set up to learn how to thrive!!

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. Romans 15:13