Transitions
Steve Roll

Steve Roll has served in Christian Ministry as a pastor, author and counselor for over 35 years. He is the president of Restoration Ministries in Tulsa, Oklahoma, specializing in restoration of relationships. For more information about Steve or his ministry, visit www.restorethejoy.org.

Transitions by Steve RollTransitions happen.

Whether we are prepared for transitions or not, it is an inevitable fact that life is one long series of transitions.

A transition is a change from one thing to another. One life season ends, another begins. A chapter in our life’s book ends. A new chapter waits to be written. What was is no longer. What is going to be is on life’s radar screen. When seasons change, life is not the same.

Transitions can be welcome, or unwelcome. Expected or unexpected. Planned or unplanned. By choice or forced. Pleasant or unpleasant. Desirable or undesirable. Exhilarating or deflating. Encouraging or discouraging. Positive or negative. Good and seemingly not so good.

What do you think about when you hear the word transition?

I think about transitions I have been through. I have experienced my share of transitions. Some were purposeful, planned, and positive. I enjoyed them. I could see God’s hand in them. Then other transitions seemed purposeless, forced upon me and my family, negative in nature and devastatingly hurtful.

Honestly, initially while emotionally crushed, it was hard for me to see the Lord’s hand in unwanted seasons of change. The transitions that baffled me most were the forced ones. Changes I didn’t want at the time. Unwanted transitions rocked my boat, disrupting my peace.

I have handled some transitions well, others not so well.

But I know this, as I reflect on my life transitions, the Lord was in all of them. His hand orchestrated even the ugliest ones that men could dish out. Behind the change scenarios, Almighty God was with me, for me and working on my behalf. His mercy and lovingkindness overshadowed my shortcomings and the sins of people who tried to hurt my life.

Without question, the transitions I dreaded most God used to bring great good to my life.

Transitions Test Our Trust In the Lord

In Matthew 28:18-20 we find the Great Commission. Sending His followers out to be His witnesses to make disciples, Jesus reassured them “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. (Verse 20). Always being with them included life transitions. The New Testament Church was a Church in constant transition….and God was with His people in all of them!

I encourage you to study Genesis 37-50. These chapters record the sacred saga of Joseph’s faith journey to fulfill the dream God revealed to Him. Expelled from his father’s house, thrown into a pit, sold as a slave to Potiphar, locked up in jail for a crime he did not commit, propelled into Pharaoh’s presence and promoted to Prime Minister of Egypt, “the Lord was with him” through every single transition over a period of thirteen years.

What an inspiring scriptural story of God’s faithfulness to faithful Joseph through tremendous life transitions.

Thoughts for Positive Transitions

  • Do not panic! Do not freak out when transition knocks on your door. Remain calm, cool and collected. Leave the panic button alone!
  • Refuse to make stupid decisions (it can happen) during a season of transition. Keep your head on straight. Be emotionally stable and secure.
  • Choose to trust God for the transition. He knows the beginning from the end, and the end from the beginning. His good plan for your life has a lifetime guarantee that He is with you every single step of the way. He has you covered.
  • Pray about the changes. Chill out, if you will, through waiting on the Lord. Search the Word for His promises. Ask for wisdom, discernment, clarity and direction.
  • Enlist two or three faithful Christians to pray with you. Pick mature believers who will encourage, support, stand with you, and love you through the transition.
  • Be positive about the transition. Expect God’s best for you when He moves you on in life. Stay hopeful and optimistic for those who look to you for courage and steadfastness when life changes.
  • Ask the Lord what you can learn from the transition. How can you stretch and grow through a season of change?
  • How we leave a season of life is how we enter the next season. Leave well if you want to enter well. Attitude determines altitude in life. Leave the past on a high note so you can soar into the heights of God’s new season for you.
  • Thank God throughout the transition process. His best awaits you around the corner of change. Praise Him for His faithfulness to you every step of the way.
  • Share God’s goodness and faithfulness to you with others who are going through a life transition. Be a cheerleader when the winds of change blow over their lives.

Remember: Transitions test our trust in the Lord. Pass the test.

How about you? How do you handle transitions? If you are in a time of transition right now, how do you want to handle it? How do you think the Lord wants you to handle this change? How do you want those who depend on you to feel safe and secure that you are handling the transition well?

A last thought from me: The final transition I am waiting for with breathless expectation is the glorious return of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I hope with all my heart that He splits the eastern sky to take me home in my lifetime. If I die naturally before His return or fly on a cloud to glory, I will transition from this earthly life to eternal life in heaven. Hallelujah!

“The steps of a good man are established by the Lord, and He delights in his way.” Psalm 37:23

A word for your week: Trust God for life’s transitions.