I pulled into the brick gate and stopped at the guard shack, palm trees on either side and air-conditioning blasting. Worries raced through my mind and I found myself asking, “was this a mistake?”
The answer on that hot summer day was a resounding, “no,” but the overwhelming feeling of moving over 700 miles from my home spoke loudly into my anxious heart that day.
We’ve all been through big transitions. For me, moving to grad school was high on that list. I didn’t like the idea of being so far way from family and friends. The humidity in New Orleans felt much less suffocating than the weight of the transition on moving day.
My transition to New Orleans was not noteworthy because it was the largest transition of my life, it was noteworthy because it was one of the bumpiest. From my own bumpy and not-so-bumpy transitions and sitting with others that walk through difficult transitions each day, I hope these three questions will help you ACE your next transition.
Am I spending enough time praying about this transition?
The “A” in the ACE acronym is “Am I spending enough time praying about this transition?” because I know from experience and Scripture that prayer is a key to a great transition.
When I moved to New Orleans, I knew without-a-doubt that I was supposed to be in New Orleans. God used a specific Scripture to call me to pursue graduate studies and He used another specific Scripture to call me to move to complete those studies. Best Counselor Edmond In the desperation of not wanting to move, I cried out to the Lord more than I normally do. Prayer happened and that was the glue that held that transition together.
Genesis 37 speaks of another significant transition, but one that was more of an affliction than my move to graduate school. Joseph, the favored son, was sold into slavery. He went from wearing an ornate robe to wearing chains. He went from living in Canaan with his family to living in a new land with a new master.
Most of us will never experience a transition quite as drastic or unexpected as Joseph’s, but prayer was a key element in this story Best Counselor Edmond. We see examples of both prayerless and prayerfulness.
Joseph’s brothers exhibited prayerlessness as they did not pray through the situation. Instead of proactively praying, they reactively made life-changing decisions. In verse 18, Scripture tells us that “they saw him from afar, and before he came near to them they conspired against him to kill him.” They didn’t stop to pray Best Counselor Edmond. They didn’t pause to check their emotions. Reuben, one of Joseph’s brothers, had a moment of integrity as he encouraged his brothers not to kill Joseph; however, that ended just as quickly when the brothers were eating and happened to see a group to whom they thought would be good to sell Joseph.
Joseph exhibited prayerfulness as he prayed in his situation. Looking ahead to Genesis 39, Joseph’s response reflects his prayer life. Joseph made the most of his enormous transition, he maintained integrity, and “the LORD was with Joseph” (verse 2).
Prayer impacts the way we transition Best Counselor Edmond. It impacts our decision to transition. It impacts how we survive transition. Prayer is a key to transitioning well.
Can I cut something out?
The “C” in the ACE acronym is “Can I cut something out?” because transitions require more space in our schedules.
Before I moved to New Orleans, I made the decision to take the summer off. In theory, that would have helped my transition; however, I filled the entire summer with serving in church. I went on every mission trip, helped with every camp, and served at Vacation Bible School. My “break” was busier than my work. The busy summer before I moved New Orleans did not help me transition well Best Counselor Edmond. I went into a big transition exhausted.
Looking back to Joseph’s life in Genesis, we see that Joseph literally had everything cut out during his transitions. It wasn’t by choice, but the result was Joseph relying solely on the Lord for strength. As a result, Joseph transitioned from freed man to slave with such grace that he eventually became the second-in-command to Egypt Best Counselor Edmond. The road was bumpy, but Joseph’s transition was not.
Are my Expectations realistic?
The “E” in the ACE acronym is about Expectations. Realistic expectations are essential to a smooth transition.
When I transitioned to New Orleans, I expected to make friends immediately. After all, I was moving to New Orleans for graduate school and I made some of my best friends in previous schooling. However, it wasn’t as easy as I expected Best Counselor Edmond. I moved in August but didn’t even go to dinner with someone until the end of October. My expectations fueled disappointment in this season.
For Joseph, he went from being the favored son to being sold into slavery, from being rescued by an Egyptian officer to thrown into prison, from being put in charge in prison to interpreting dreams, from being forgotten for his interpretations to being second-in-command of all of Egypt. In Joseph’s rollercoaster life, the Lord was continuously with him and Joseph was obedient. His obedience reflects low expectations for the world, but great faith in the Lord—both of which are incredibly realistic. The reality is: the world will always disappoint, but God will always satisfy Best Counselor Edmond OK. Are your expectations too high for the world? Too low for God?
Now, let’s go and ACE our next transition!
By Katie MacDougall
If you would like more help in getting unstuck and making changes that actually improve you relationships and life then contact us today at (405) 921-7776. You can also go to Newvisioncounseling.live to email us or find out more about how we can help.