Confession 100: Transistions

Wow! I didn't think a one hundredth post would be a big deal, but I have to say, it's pretty cool seeing triple digits up there! It only took me three years to reach 100. I'm on a role!!

I thought for my hundredth post I would write a little bit about transitions. It seemed appropriate, given that we seem to be in the midst of many. This week is the last week of school for our seniors, and it's interesting to see how reluctant they are to leave, now that the time to go has finally arrived. At the beginning of the year, it was all they could talk about. Now, I've had several say to me they don't feel ready anymore to go. One of my senior girls came in to my third hour already crying. "It's so hard!" she told me. "Yes," I replied. "It is. It's hard now. It's hard at college. It's hard when you get married. It's hard when you move." Transitions are just hard. There are so many emotions involved. On the one hand, there's the excitement around the adventure to come. For high school seniors, the whole world is spread out before them. They get to move out on their own, eat what they want, when they want, stay up or out as long as they want, travel where they want, etc... For those going to college, they get to put their foot into the "real world", but still have the safety net of a school and studies.

Yet, in every transition, the possibility of what is to come is tempered by the reality loss. Namely, saying goodbye. Each transition carries with it both a hello and goodbye. It's in the makeup of the word. And, for most of us, saying goodbye is difficult. As human beings, we are made to be in relationship with others. It is that essence of God within us, I think, that makes us seek out others with whom we can share our lives. And even though no goodbye is ever final, it often feels like it in the moment. Goodbye indicates change, and most of us do not respond well to change. Change feeds insecurity within us so that when it comes, as my seniors are demonstrating, we want to push it away, even if it's something we've looked forward to for a long time.

However, I would argue it is in our times of transition that we learn to trust most in God. When we have to say goodbye, when we have to leave the certain and known, when everything around us changes, God remains the same. He is our stability and security when we enter into a new place in our lives. One of my favorite verses in the Bible has always been Deuteronomy 31:6--

"Be strong and courageous. Do not fear! The Lord your God goes with you. He will never leave nor forsake you."

Blessings and Peace in All of your Transitions!
Sara