Run Farther, Leap Higher

Do you feel pressure and you do not know why? Are you angry with God for not getting you out of the mess your life seems to be in? Do you feel like He could, at the very least, tell you what is going on? Do you complain about what you are going through and what or how you are feeling? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you could be going through a transition. I want to give you a little insight into what I have learned during my several periods of transition.

All of us, at different times in our lives, go through periods of transition. This can be a very unsettling time because transition removes our comfort zones. I have gone through times of transition in which I said to God, “Lord, I want to work with You and not against You.” In order to minimize the discomfort of transition I needed to work with the plan of God and not rebel.

Transition – out with the old, in with the new.

Out with your old way of doing things and how you think about your life. Sometimes you can become so familiar with doing things the old way until you can, as people say, “do them with your eyes closed.” Out with the old habits and thoughts that will not work in the place this change is taking you. Old beliefs that nothing new, different, or wonderful could happen to you cannot survive where you are transitioning to. Never attempting to go beyond the limits of what you view to be safe becomes a thing of the past.

Transition into the new. Living in the Spirit. Having a greater level of faith and obedience. Becoming new in Christ every day and dying to the ungodly thoughts that satisfy the flesh. Being renewed in the spirit of your mind. Seeing your future through the eyes of God and not being afraid to let go of the fears that bind you. Coloring outside the lines, achieving more, living fearlessly in Christ is all a part of the “new you.”

Transition is a process that takes place over a period of time. It is a process of change. It takes you in the water and out of the water. You are in the fire then out of the fire. Sometimes it takes you through the flood. The purpose of it all is for refining. God is refining you for the destiny He has planned for you. If you go through transition with the right attitude there should be marked changes in your life. There will be landmarks where you can say it was right here that this change took place and over there is where that change took place.

When going through transition you will shed some bad habits. The old person whose bad attitude is making life unpleasant is being changed from the inside out, like a caterpillar that goes through metamorphosis. Others never see what is going on inside, they only see what you look like to them as you are going through a change. Transition makes you a hideous sight to some people. Your world is being shaken, turned, and tossed, and this is all happening at the same time. Friends and family are not with you during those days and nights when you are filled with fears and doubts, and asking God what is happening in your life. They do not see you as you agonize and cry in the midnight hours because of not knowing what is occurring in your life. The only thing you know for sure is that there is nothing you can do to stop it from happening. Because your family and friends do not know or understand they began to act like Job’s friends. They will tell you that you must have done something to deserve what you are going through. In your confusion you cry out to the Father. You ask Him, “what have I done to deserve this?’ He does not answer your question. Instead, you hear His comforting voice say “I am here with you and there is no need to fear.” You still do not understand what is going on. You are in the water and out of the water, in the fire, and out of the fire. You scream inside “when will this end!?”

The process of transition is necessary because you are becoming a beautiful butterfly. You will not be a caterpillar again. The person you were before transition will never emerge again. Who would have thought that something as unappealing as a caterpillar could become a lovely and desirable butterfly? Take flight, you will never crawl again. The question was asked about Jesus, “can anything good come from Nazareth?” Can any good thing be made of your life? After you get through this period of transition you will know that something good can be made of you.

The days of wanting and waiting for change in your life are over, fly butterfly fly.