This word is probably my least favorite word in the entire English vernacular. I don't know why. Maybe because I have never understood how to go through this life without getting attached. To people. To places. To phases. And why not? There's a fine balance to be found for one who is not promised tomorrow.
And that sums up us all.
So why not dive in deeply to the place and hold on tightly to the people who surround us? Why not invest all we have today in order that we may arrive (or not) at tomorrow, leaving the soil around us a richer ground?
But unfortunately, it isn't that simple.
The problem is this: The ground beneath can shift at any time at all.
No warning signs.
We are torn from the familiar and wonder what happened to the "comforts of yesterday." We try to keep up with the winds of change as we gasp for breath.
"If only life would just stop… just for a moment." I can't keep track of all the moments I have uttered that very phrase. Only if… then we could reconfigure our footing and stand strong once more.
But... what if we just sat down?
What if we just began to sit in the midst of the chaos roaring around us?
It hit me the other day that right smack dab in the middle of "transition" is the word "sit."
Now bear with me. I know it's a stretch.
But what if?
What if we began to just rest and allow our hearts to slow in the process of seemingly constant change? What would life look like?
Now if you're anything like me, you struggle to even wrap your mind around this concept of truly resting--in general… Nonetheless in the center of a swirling vortex of change.
Fair enough.
But hear me out.
Change reminds us that we are not in control. At all. We live with a strikingly false illusion of control. Even in the midst of the utmost mundane in life--we are not the least bit in charge.
Sorry if that rattles your cage.
I know that my world has been shaken by that concept the past few years.
Back to sitting.
I like to remain relatively active but sometimes I challenge myself to simply sit. To take it all in. As my mom says, we all need to take time to "smell the roses." I'm not a pro at that concept, but I'm working on it. And that's what counts, right?
When we are stationary, our vision is able to become more focused. I'm in a season of "blurred vision." Big time. And I can't wait for it to end! But despite my blurry vision, God has begun to enlighten my eyes to not only my stark "smallness" in light of His glory… But also to clarity I would have missed had I not decided to sit in the midst of some pretty drastic storms.
Transition forces us to move forward. It cuts out the possibility of stagnation--the very thing I fear most. Because as much as I despise the challenges that ride on the coat tails of transition, I fear apathy and mediocrity much more so.
As I write this, it is a tough pill to swallow… because I am sensing another round of transition approaching. And I'm going to be stretched and prodded a bit. But what a great reminder of my frailty! What an opportunity to draw closer to the One who IS in control of my every breath. My every heart beat.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not a fan of transition. Much less, choosing to sit in the midst of it.
But it's going to occur either way.
What if I chose to soak in the value it can bring to my heart and mind rather than trying to escape it as quickly as humanly possible?
Because I don't believe God purposes change or transition to make us miserable… but rather to prepare us for future Kingdom work that presently--in the state in which we are--we are not yet best equipped to do.
That's a game-changer for me. It lightens the load and eases the pain of the sudden impact.
So what do you say?
Care to take a seat?
