Skip to main content

Transition and...

                 This is what the Lord says— your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go. (Isaiah 48:17) 

My first response as I read this verse is a prayer, “Oh Lord, remind me often who You are. Speak Your names to me. I confess I forget them so easily.”

This passage ties in with the time of year. For most of us, this is when we change from summer to fall and from school’s out to school’s in. It’s a time to harvest and a time to plant. Eight years ago, this was the time of year when I transitioned from one lifestyle or job to another and one place to another. And today’s verse is all about that transition. It would be more accurate to say that I began to transition. Today’s verse wasn’t the one I chose as an anchor, but it’s like it. It’s all about trusting God that He will direct and guide.

Transition is difficult. It involves four steps: letting go of X with one hand. Taking hold of it Y with that hand, pushing X away with the other hand, and firmly grasping Y with the other hand. Some may think it is enough to let go with the other hand, but if X is still around, one can return to it.

This means that if we are going to trust God, we have to push away other things we tend to trust. We must burn our boats and bridges. Will we trust that God wants what is best for us and will bring it about – no matter how bad things seem to get? Will we seek direction from Him? An equally important question is – will we move forward when we have that direction?

One of the problems with transitions is that they tend to be busy. Letting go, pushing away, and taking hold may require full processes. It’s easy to become overwhelmed when we turn from X to Y. But today’s verse is one to put in the Battle Bible and challenge ourselves daily. Are we going to hold onto what it says, or will we trust in ourselves?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Saved?

  I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” (John 10:28-30) “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ ” (Matthew 7:21-23) Not at all! Let God be true, and every human being a liar. As it is written: “So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge.” (Romans 3:4)   What conclusion do you draw when someone who was raised in a Christian family and church, perhaps even playing a significant role in a chur...
Post a Comment
Read more

A Virgin?

           Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14)           This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 1:18)           But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”            “How will this be,” Mary asked the...
Post a Comment
Read more

Meditations of the Heart

  May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. (Psalm19:14)           As I started writing this post, I noted that the meditations of my heart are all over the mental landscape, from a hub where eight superhighways come together to a lunar or nuclear landscape. Do you see my error? The moment I read the word meditation , I think about thoughts. But what’s described here is the meditations of our hearts ; our wills.           While the meditations of our minds may be all over the place, the meditations of our wills tend to be a little more stable by the time we are adults. We no longer tend to want to pursue the ten separate careers we did in any given day as children. Part of this is humble acceptance of reality. We come to understand that we can’t do it all. I think another part of it is disappointmen...
Post a Comment
Read more