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Are You Going Through a Transition? Learn how to recognize if something new is about to happen in your life and how to navigate through it.
At the start of the year 2014, God revealed to me that I was going through a transition in my life. Quite honestly, it was a pretty painful time, and a lot seemed to be going wrong. For the first time in several years, I didn’t receive a teaching assignment for my college classes, and I was dealing with some conflict at work. We encountered several trivial problems (even though they didn’t seem so trivial at the time) such as our heater going out, our refrigerator going out, and my wedding ring breaking (and then my temporary replacement ring breaking too!). We had to deal with some family emergencies.
Then, on top of several other financial setbacks, my husband didn’t get his annual bonus at work which we had very unwisely come to depend on. There were countless circumstances, some of which I’m not at liberty to share, that were incredibly draining…of our emotions, time, and finances. It was one thing after another, and it seemed never-ending. I felt like I was in an ocean being bombarded by wave after wave barely able to catch my breath.
My goal with this post
I KNOW you know this feeling! You may have even had some time in your own life come to mind while reading this. That’s actually my goal. My hope with this post is to help you relate and to distinguish some of the times of transition in your own life. My goal is for us to be able to look back on our lives and see some of the things that we’ve been through and then notice the birth of something new that followed that period of transition. In addition to identifying transition times in our past, I want us to be able to recognize when we are potentially in the process of a transition and learn how to navigate it through it.
Gradual revelations
During this difficult time, I encountered several repeated phrases (evidence of God talking to me) such as “passing through” and “a little while”. I realized that God was trying to tell me that I was going through something that wouldn’t last…a transition of sorts. I also had 2 very vivid dreams about weddings. OK, so normally I’m not a person to put much stock in dreams, but for some reason these REALLY stuck out to me so I looked them up on a dream dictionary app. A wedding in a dream symbolizes a new beginning or a transition in your current life. Again that word “transition” came up! Then all of a sudden God gave me the analogy of the “transition” stage of labor (in the birthing process).
Transition in childbirth
Stages of Labor–arrow pointing at Transition
I specifically remembered learning about the transition stage of labor in my childbirth classes (10 years earlier!) because I remembered the picture graph they showed and the way they described it, and I particularly remember thinking…”That part doesn’t look fun.” I imagined the chart had transition paired with tall, sharp jagged lines to match the intense, sharp pain that one would experience during this phase.
The transition stage is the most challenging part of the birthing process (you can read a description here on BabyCenter.com). It’s during this phase that the pain is the worst and the contractions are the strongest and longest. They also come very quickly, one right after another, sometimes even overlapping. There is not much time to relax in between each contraction (like those ocean waves bearing down!). There may be moments when you feel exhausted, frustrated, impatient, overwhelmed, and you may feel a lot of pressure as well. The transition stage can sometimes seem unbearable. Thank God for epidurals! Too bad there’s not a spiritual epidural…hmmm, sounds like a new post in the making! 🙂
Advantages of transition
Unbearable as it seems though, the transition stage has its advantages. One of the redeeming points of the transition stage is that it is the shortest stage. It’s also a very necessary stage because it is the preparation for the next stage (the birth of something new). Transition is a time of expansion and making room (i.e. dilation of the cervix to 10 cm) for the new “thing” to push out and through. In labor, the cervix has to be dilated to 10 cm in order for the baby to have room to come out. Uncomfortable as it is, it’s a necessary process that cannot be skipped. It’s a process of growth.
To give another analogy, transition is a season. Similarly, winter is a season of preparation for spring and its new births—new plants, leaves, flowers, and growth. Just like in winter when we can’t see what’s happening in the ground to prepare for the spring, in transition you can’t see the baby yet either. It may be a phase that seems barren or seems like nothing is happening, BUT it’s coming! Something new and wonderful is about to happen! Seasons change and bring something new.
God’s preparation
Interestingly enough, God had given me a couple of verses/a promise several years ago (it’s still on an index card on my bathroom mirror) that talked about a “new thing”. Since God’s Word is living and active (Hebrews 4:12), these verses have meant so many things to me over the years. This time, however, I saw them in a different context.
“The Lord says, ‘Forget what happened before, and do not think about the past. Look at the new thing I am going to do. It is happening already. Don’t you see it? I will make a road in the desert and rivers in dry land.” Isaiah 43:18-19 (NCV)
For me, this transition into a “new thing” or “new birth” was this blog. 🙂 The semester off of teaching gave me some much-needed time to write, take classes, and educate myself on all things blog and techie (ok so maybe not all things…I’m still learning).
I’m also happy to announce that God was faithful in our struggles too. We made it through every financial setback, our heater was fixed, we got a beautiful brand new fridge, I have a wedding ring that won’t break now (see it here), I was assigned even more classes during the fall semester than I’ve ever taught before and made some great new relationships in the process, our family situations began to mend, AND my husband got his bonus that next year!!! Yay! Praise God!
“But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.” 2 Corinthians 2:14 (NASB)
My story goes on, and I have so much more that I can share with you about this, but we’ll have to save it for another day and time. 🙂
Take Some Practical Steps to Navigate Transition:
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First, try to pinpoint times in your past when you’ve gone through a transition that prepared you for something new to come into your life.
Looking at what God has brought you through before and at how He’s prepared you in the past can give you strength, encouragement, and momentum for the things that you are currently going through or have yet to go through. Seeing prior examples (in yourself and in others) will make your transitions more bearable…like a spiritual epidural??? 🙂
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Then, recognize when you are potentially in the process of a transition.
Are you taking hit after hit? Does it feel like waves of circumstances are bearing down on you one right after another? Does it feel like you are having painful “contractions” one after another seemingly unable to relax or catch your breath? Do you feel exhausted, frustrated, impatient, overwhelmed, and feel a lot of pressure as well? You might be in transition, preparing for something new to happen in your life.
If you’re not sure if you’re in a transition, ask God. I was listening to one of Pastor Steven Furtick’s messages during this “transition stage” of mine. It was titled “Weather the Winter”. He talked about how we need to stop trying to focus on the REASON and focus on our RESPONSE instead. He said to quit focusing on the “why” and start focusing on the “what”. Ask God, “WHAT are you preparing me for?” OR… “WHAT are you preparing for me?”
You can also pray for strength during this season. **Check out this Prayer for Strength or visit this page for a list of other prayers that may be helpful.
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Also, rely heavily on a support person.
Most resources recommend that during labor you need a support person to help you through the process of birthing. A transition in your life will also require support. Remember the Formula for Success and running your “LAPS”? Your primary “S” or “Support” in transition should be God. You also need other support people in your life that can encourage you through a transition.
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Furthermore, when you feel overwhelmed try to focus on one thing at a time and remember the progress you’ve already made.
Just breathe and focus–yes, exactly like a woman in labor! The American Pregnancy Association gives this advice during the time of transition: “try to think one contraction at a time” and “remember how far you’ve already come”. They also give great tips for a support person (it’s good advice even when you’re not having a baby!).
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Recognize that you are growing and expanding.
God is making room in your life for something new to happen. Take note of the new things that you are learning throughout the process and the new growth that’s coming about.
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Finally, be encouraged that something exciting is about to happen!
Don’t give up even when you can’t see your “new thing” yet. Hang in there and get excited. A new birth is exciting! Yes, it can be messy and inconvenient at times, but the pros far outweigh the cons. God may be getting ready to bring such a blessing into your life that is even more than you could ever ask for or imagine!
“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us” Ephesians 3:20 (NIV)
What kinds of transition have you gone through? Tell us about it by leaving a comment below.
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