Have you ever experienced a major life transition? Transition can be awkward, exciting, and sometimes heartbreaking. The question is not if you will experience transition in your life, but where you will run when you do.

Do you feel like your life is constantly changing?  It probably is!  Life’s transitions are unending and can spark anxiety and fear. How do we trust God in the midst of transition?  I recently had the chance to speak on this topic, and I’m excited to share these talks with you.

My life has had lots of transitions–from being a single career girl, to marriage, to five kids in seven years including twins, to almost five teenagers at once, to four weddings in three summers, to the empty nest, to 21 grandchildren. 

All along the way, I kept waiting for life to calm down. HA!

Life doesn’t calm down; it only gets more complicated. I kept waiting for stability expecting it to be the norm. But instead I discovered that transition is the norm; stability is the rare exception.

Transition is the norm; stability is the rare exception.

Now my husband John and I are getting ready for another transition as he retires this week and steps down from being rector of our church, a position he’s held for 40years.

Transition comes in different packages:

• Biological transitions: from parenting toddlers to parenting teens.

• Difficult transitions: a move, a new boss, a new job, elderly parents moving in with you, the loss of a dream. 

• Joyful transitions: marriage, the birth of a child, pursuing a dream.

• Tragic transitions: a death, illness, loss of a child, a financial crisis.

Transition is a constant and is by nature awkward. The question is: how will we handle life’s transitions?

Will it be with fear and depression, or with a sense of adventure and a tender heart towards God?

Where will we run in transition?

Proverbs 18:10 says, “The name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous run to it and are safe.”

It’s helpful to ask, Where am I running?

It’s so easy to run to other places for comfort, but some may not be safe. A non-believing friend, alcohol, a man who is not our husband, busyness, over-commitment, the internet, shopping, food.

Whatever transition we are experiencing, God wants us to run to Him for guidance, for comfort, for purpose, and for understanding.