The following comes from a blog published on April 29, 2019
Over two decades as a pastor, I have encountered many trials and tribulations in the lives of those whom I have served. It doesn’t matter how old or young, rich or poor, how smart, or how well you plot and plan. Life can be hard. It can get out of hand and beyond our control.
Through the years, I have come to understand that transitions play a serious role in what makes life so tough. Transitions are the moments between what we have come to know as normal and a new reality that has yet to take shape fully.
Transitions are triggered when crucial things happen that change our lives. For example, graduating from high school, receiving a promotion, losing a job, or suffering the death of a loved one. Whether the big event is good or bad, welcome or not, it changes the way we live and interact with others.
Once a life transition occurs, it takes us an indeterminate amount of time to settle into the new groove and pattern of life. Depending on how significant the life-changing event is, the time of transition can be long and arduous.
In walking through many transitions, both with others as a spiritual guide and in my life, I have discovered that it is helpful to ground ourselves spiritually. Prayer and daily devotions can provide consistency when everything is up in the air. They provide an essential tether for our spirit. This is especially true when we take the time BEFORE the transition to daily attend to our spiritual care.
Take time each day to focus on and nurture your spiritual self. Reflect on what God is up to in your life. Breathe and lean into the relationship that God has established with you since the moment of your birth. Engage in holy wonder; ask, where might I encounter God in this day.
Caring for your spirit doesn’t have to be lengthy, involve a lot of props, or get ‘weird.’ Just a few minutes of ‘God-time’ each day will establish a stable pattern that will be a tremendous resource for you when you find yourself in your next transition.
In Christ’s Light,
Walt
You might want to check out my book,Lighting Your Way, With Love. In it, I reflect upon the experience of my oldest son leaving for a university to talk about navigating transitions. It contains lots of practical guidance for anyone facing change, no matter the age.
Lighting Your Way, With Loveis available through Amazon and the Light From This Hill website. If you order from my website, you receive a bonus - a FREE subscription to the devotional series which presents the content of the book as a daily online devotional sent to your inbox in time for your morning coffee.
As a reader of IGNITE, enter the code READER (all caps) at checkout and receive 10% off. It is a way for me to say thank you for reading what I have to offer - Walt
Copyright 2018. Walt Lichtenberger. Permission granted to share with family and friends.