Transitions

These days, my social media overflows with images of beaming grads and their proud parents, a radiant bride and tuxedoed groom twirling in an open field for the photographer, and videos of a newly arrived scrunched-faced newborn.  This is a season for celebration. We’re celebrating these life transitions, and we should!

I’ve found three things wrapped inside each celebration: a pivot towards a new season of life, a challenge for further personal growth, and an opportunity to find God completely faithful in this new chapter of life.

Many are celebrating major life transitions—transitions that signal we are moving from one season of life to the next.  We are leaving something behind to embrace what comes next.

Our new graduates are leaving high school or collegiate life. They are moving toward higher education or careers. 

A wedding marks the end of single life. The new couple moves into a new season as husband and wife.

 A new baby marks the end of “just the two of us” and the pivot towards life as new parents, with its many joys and responsibilities. We are transitioning from one season of life into another. 

Transition requires growth; growth is always uncomfortable. After the grad party, the photo displays come down and take their place among the scrapbook pages.

After the wedding and honeymoon, the wedding gown is stored away, and the new couple embarks upon life together as husband and wife.

Once the new arrival is born, the baby shower photos become old news. 

Each celebration marks a season of accomplishment and joy, but also the pivot toward a new season of growth and change. Though we nod in agreement now, the realities of our new season of life can be disconcerting. If we aren’t clear-eyed about the road ahead, we can be blindsided and confused when the celebration wanes and the realities of our new life emerge. 

Once the summer winds down, the new grads will be college freshmen or moving on to trades and careers. They will have to make new friends as they navigate a new campus or work environment. They will  begin more rigorous academics or trade skills. Each celebration marks a transition and a life change.  

The newlyweds we celebrate this summer will return from their honeymoon to the regular life of married people. The change can be a sobering shift from the bridal world of tulle, flowers, and candlelight to the daily grind of washing dishes, running the vacuum, and wondering what to make for supper. 

The anticipation of a new arrival and the doting attention an expectant mother receives can quickly descend into the stunning reality of nursing a squalling newborn at some ungodly hour of the night, and wondering what happened to your full night’s sleep. 

These life transitions offer an opportunity for personal growth. We all readily embrace the concept of personal growth, knowing that by it, we become the strong, mature people we long to be. The challenges that force us beyond our comfort zone also build the muscle of resilience and the courage to move forward despite our fears.

Embarking upon a new life season is also a wonderful time to reflect upon how God proved Himself faithful in the recent achievements that brought us to this point of celebration. We can pivot toward the change ahead with anticipation for the many ways He will prove Himself faithful in the days ahead.

The same truth that anchored us to Him months ago is the same truth that will anchor us when the music fades and the reality of our life transition lands firmly upon us.  God will remain as strong and tender as He ever was. In His strength, we can rise to meet the new challenges before us.  The same direct communication line to Him remains open and available even when our new season becomes a wild and bumpy ride. 

After all, Scripture reminds us that: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8)