3 Stages for Uncertain Transition – Free Book Prize
All of us face transition. Whether you are transitioning into a new job a new stage in life with marriage or the birth of a child, a move, or simply seeking a new direction for the days ahead, transition is both exciting and scary. It’s exciting to consider new opportunities and adventures. It’s scary to face uncertainty and the unknown.
Hello, Dear and Precious friends! It’s Linda. I’m back and I’ve missed you! Reen is struggling with health issues right now and we are again in transition as a result. The Colorado altitude where we live (7,000 feet) takes its toll daily, so we face a move back to the East Coast where allergies and elevation with reduced oxygen no longer are a problem. So, I bring you Your Refreshed Life encouragement again!
For those who have followed our “missionary journeys,” you know this will be our 16th move in 17 years. Like the Israelites moving with God’s Shekinah glory cloud above their heads, or Paul as he set sail again for unknown lands, each time God uses His Word, circumstances, and His voice to guide us. Is it exhausting? Yes. Do we feel uncertain? Yes. Are we complaining? No. Because we know God has a reason as we fulfill His plans for our life. As He promises Jeremiah, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11)
Dear friends have asked me, “How do you do it?” “How do you keep going?” and yet these same friends, remark, “You are an inspiration to me because I see your perseverance and grit and the way God blesses you in every move on every occasion.“ And for that, I am grateful and give Him all the glory. There is no way we could do this on our own. We would have never made it had it not been for His encouragement, strength, and love.
So how do we do it? Here are the 3 stages I’ll be sharing with you over the next few weeks as we pack, consign, sell, and move again.
Stage 1– Face the Facts
It’s so easy to deceive ourselves into believing something that is not true. As I shared in my book, “Dancing in the Storm: Successfully Embracing Change,” we can move into denial like the Scarlett O’Hara “blindness” syndrome seen in the movie, “Gone with the Wind.” When things became difficult for Scarlett, she would repeat her mantra, “After all, tomorrow’s another day.” Like Scarlett, we can refuse to accept the facts and reality of our situation and pretend it will all disappear by tomorrow.
Or we move into a “structuring” mode where, like a barking Army sergeant, we try to force control and order over everything and everyone by scheduling, organizing, and demanding agreement from others to make things work.
When we realized several weeks ago that we needed to move, instead of falling into these traps, we did something completely opposite–we surrendered. We admitted to God that we felt uncertain, insecure, and afraid but accepted the undeniable fact that we needed to move. And we confessed our trust in Him again, that He had the best in mind for us and would handle the situation if we trusted Him.
We continue to follow Paul’s wise words exactly as we have every other time for decades, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:6-7) As we obey this direction, in every circumstance He is always faithful, and that peace that no one but God can provide envelops us. Then we wait…
Next week I’ll tell you about the miracles God performed and the way He is handling the situation as only He could!
Special Contest Prize!
As we anticipate Easter, we want to send the first three readers who answer the question below in 200-300 words a FREE hardcover copy of Max Lucado’s wonderful book, The Cross!
How has God come through for you when you were in transition?
Email your answer to lindamwaterman@gmail.com. We will publish these answers in upcoming newsletters.
