Why is it that when I think of transition, The Byrds melody “to everything (turn, turn, turn), there is a season (turn, turn, turn)” plays in my head? Actually, I have this quirky habit of associating a song or movie quote to nearly every situation in my life.

Transition can be fun, adventurous, scary, difficult, and all of the above all at once.  Let me tell you, I have experienced all of these feelings at any given moment since October 2015. That is when I agreed to a crazy idea to take out equity from my home to finish the basement. Since then, there was not a single day where change did not occur. Sounds of power tools filled the home for several months and then abruptly stopped as the contractor bailed on the job. Deadlines were pressing and money was dwindling when the man who would soon become my husband came to the rescue (along with my brother) and finished my basement. Literally the day after the city gave the final stamp of approval for the completed basement, I began planning a wedding. The venue was a popular place so I had one date to work with in 2017. I became very resourceful putting a wedding together in about 3 months with pennies in my pocket. There was a new basement, a new husband, two new children, and a rearranged house to accommodate us all. I told God and my husband, please no more change for at least a year; I need a break…. and then we were presented with an unexpected opportunity to move to a small town two hours south of our home in the Denver Metro area.  Thus began the journey of prepping our house for sale. That journey also included my husband unexpectedly having to quit his job, find a new one, and a basement flood and remodel yet again.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 states:

I imagine if Solomon were alive today, he would be writing these words in a blog wrestling with all of the feelings that transition can bring. Take a moment to continue reading the verses in this chapter as he elaborates through his troubled heart about transition.

I think we have that feeling whether we want to admit it or not, that if things are going to change and if it is not going to be fun we want it done quickly, smoothly and right now so that our lives are not disrupted any more than they need to be. Other times we expect our transition to be the same as someone else’s transition. For example, my friend Liz’s family moved around the same time we did; she got a house the day she arrived in her new town but as I type this, I still sit on my parents’ couch where I have been staying the last 4 months (my husband and I are now a week away from moving into our new home!).

It is often said that we need to pray that God will open doors that need to be opened and will close doors that need to be closed. But many times we misinterpret the waiting, the frustrations, and the uncertainties as not being “God’s will” and we back away from the transition. But God does not cookie-cut our lives. He uniquely chooses our individual situations to grow us and grow others around us. And that alone should give us comfort during both the good and hard times in transition. So be encouraged! Transition does not have to feel perfect for God to take us on one of the greatest adventures of our lives.

-mpc 

Go The Extra Mile: Check out this song pick from Melissa (and me too-hehe). This song is faith-strengthening and this video…a beautiful reminder of adventuring with God (and filmed in my favorite city on earth, nonetheless!).