Life In-Between Chapters
author: Pastor Terry Ross
I once read some tremendously insightful words that have helped me understand the process of transitions in life and in leadership: Healthy things grow; growing things change; changing things challenge us; challenging things force us to trust God; trust leads to obedience; obedience makes us healthy; and healthy things grow.
Growth, change, challenge, trust, obedience, health, growth – it all sounds like transition to me. At the age of 58, I have now experienced many life transitions – 37 years of marriage, the birth of 2 incredible daughters (talk about transitions!) and now 6 incredible grandkids, deaths of both parents, open heart surgery and the changes that came with that experience. Then there have been the many transitions in vocation through the years. These have helped me gain experiences (both good and bad), pick up knowledge and wisdom along the way, and survive some poor leadership models and also thrive under a couple of great leadership models.
Each of these transitions came with its own unique and often difficult challenges. However, for those of us who live to honor Christ, the challenges we face really do cause us to trust God with every decision and in every facet of our lives.
This is why at an early age I made my life’s scripture passage Proverbs 3:5-8. Listen to these verses from a modern translation called The Message//Remix:
Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track. Don’t assume that you know it all. Run to GOD! Run from evil! Your body will glow with health; your very bones will vibrate with life!
Transitions of many kinds are a guaranteed part of our lives. We need to understand that each of them holds possibilities for bringing positive change.
What transitions can you pinpoint in life that have helped develop the leader/person you are today?
How have you survived and/or thrived in your own transitions?