“Transition is where transformation happens.”
Steve Furtick
I tend to cram. My husband and my first car can testify to that as I broke the rear-view mirror off my Datsun B-210 after stuffing my Tupperware delivery into the car. I used to pack my daily schedule full without breaks to refuel myself. I even arranged my visits to Omaha to see as many people as I could, often running from one meeting to another. Upon my return home I’d pick up where I had left off without any time to transition back and catch my breath.
Besides the obvious reason of enjoyment to see those I loved, I filled up my time in Omaha as a result of other motivations. If you checked under the hood of my heart you would find my busyness fed my pride, which erased my shame. I derived value in being so occupied. The default lie I return to is: “If it’s not productive, it’s a waste of time.” When I live by that, then doing nothing is scary. It screams the “I’m not valuable” lie in my head.
Fortunately, my life coach encouraged me to limit the number of commitments I had in Omaha and to schedule in alone time, so I wouldn’t return home so exhausted. She helped me see the value of creating space and transitions. A transition occurs when we pass through one place or activity to another; they help us bring closure to what was and prepare us for what’s next. King Solomon spoke about the wisdom of this in Ecclesiastes 4:6. “Better is a handful of quietness than two hands full of toil and a striving after wind.”
Sometimes after we’ve gone through something, we need to sit quietly before we forge ahead. Including transitions into our schedule, is an act of kindness to ourselves. John Eldredge writes: “My soul needed God, and he was waiting right there for me in a more gracious transition.” What if we viewed stillness, making time for transition, as our time to be with God, for Him to fill us back up with Himself? Eldredge continues: “I wonder-how many situations that we would call ‘disappointments,’ ‘hassles,’ and ‘setbacks’ might actually be the loving hand of God trying to slow us down for the sake of our souls, and so that we might receive him?”
Making time for transitions is making time for God to fill up your soul. And when He fills us up with Himself, it squeezes out the shame or fear of loneliness which motivates us to numb our pain through cramming our schedule full of activity. I want to challenge you to make time for transitions and allow God to comfort, encourage, and heal your heart.
“I believe that God is often providing the opportunity for transition, but since we don’t have eyes to see it we many have been missing it.”
John Eldredge
Relevant Refection:
How can you make time for transition in your schedule today?
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