If I could choose one word to sum up my life right now, it would be transition. Transition means that something-or many things-are changing, but the process of change has not yet been completed. It's that painful, uncomfortable in-between phase when you're caught in the middle of two places at once, not fully in either place. And change is hard for me. I have learned to not like change. I have learned to not trust the ones who make changes that affect me. So when change comes, along comes a whirlwind of emotion. In the whirlwind is fear, uncertainty, anxiety, loneliness. A bunch of yucky things that I would rather not wallow in by further elaborating. But you get the picture.
In this season of my life, little actually makes clear sense...yet. Since it is a transition, I have not arrived to the "other side" of the change. It's still in progress. And sure, we can make the case that our entire life is one big transition and we won't get to the "other side" until we reach heaven. No dispute there. But what I am talking about here are the smaller, yet very big-seeming at the time, transitions of change throughout life. Maybe you are going through some major life transitions yourself. Perhaps you just had your first baby, or just had a baby period. Or your youngest child is in their first year of school and you no longer have kids at home with you during the day. Maybe the empty nest is right around the corner for you. Or you just got married. Maybe you've moved away from the place you call home or you got a new job or you've retired. Whatever your transition is, I bet you can relate to feeling caught up in a whirlwind of less than desirable emotions.
The resounding question in my mind during this season has been, "What's my default posture?" In other words, what's my "go-to". When life doesn't make sense yet, when I can't see what God is doing yet, when it hasn't come around full circle yet, how do I cope in the meantime? How do you cope? How do we keep ourselves "okay" as we make our way through seasons of uncertainty and instability? Maybe we would think to pray more or delve deeper and more frequently into God's word or do some other form of work to help ourselves feel more under control or at peace. And those may very well help also. But you know what I have found to be my best posture for times like these? Sitting. Or laying. In God's presence. That's right, I don't do anything. Even if only for a few moments, I cease to strive and I end up thriving in the midst of it all.
Did you know that He delights in our doing this very thing? Did you know that He wants us to sit with Him and that He waits for us to do so? The essence of relationship is being with someone. The doing, the works, should be an outpouring of our being. And when we just sit with Jesus and spend time with Him, not trying to please Him or expecting anything from Him, but having only the intent to deepen the relationship, something amazing happens. He rubs off on us. The King of the universe rubs off on us. His very nature and character is peace, stability, consistency, predictability, love, joy, faithfulness and a million other things! So the more time I spend just letting His nature rub off on me, the more I will become like Him. The more I am able to have a peaceful posture when chaos surrounds. And that my friends, is my recipe for dealing with all the unexpected that life throws at us! Won't you take a seat at His table? He is waiting for you, Beloved.
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