I know transitions are a part of life, and yet I wasn’t ready for the emotional ride that came with the change of moving from one house to another. I would have thought that joy would have been the only emotion felt when the opportunity of moving into a new house came, but was I ever in for a surprise. Yes, there was joy, but there was also a slew of other feelings like sadness, guilt, and fear, all accompanied with a lot of exhaustion and moments of just feeling crazy. All of those emotions together spelled confusion. I now realize all of these were normal emotions that can arise from being in transition. One of those crazy moments was even adjusting to a beautiful new refrigerator. I found myself missing my old almond colored refrigerator that I’d had for twenty years! All of this to say, change can be hard. As I look back over those weeks I see some truths that emerged which helped and will help me again in managing future transitions:

• Accept that it’s okay and it’s normal to experience a myriad of emotions during transition.
• Acknowledge these feelings through honest communication with self, with trusted others, and with God in prayer.
• Let go of guilt that often comes with transition.
• Allow the time that is needed to adjust to the new.
• Understand that tremendous positive growth can happen during this time.

Life will continue being filled with transitions. There will be a saying good-bye to something. An ending will come. BUT, there is a beginning to something new. God says, “Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.” Isaiah 43:19

Many other transitions have taken place in my life within the last year, some big, some small, some chosen, some not, some good, some bad. In the midst of transitions I’ve waited upon God to show me what to do next. Waiting is hard and I don’t like it! But, in the waiting, I always learn so much more about God and about myself. New doors opened that allow me to love and serve others that would have never happened if not for the transitions I have experienced during the last year. It is an exciting ride!