Today's
"Blog Every Day in May" prompt is to write about
something difficult about my "lot in life" and how I'm working to improve it.
At first, I was at a loss. My "lot in life?" It sounds so dramatic, right? But, in all honesty, I
am in this weird transition stage and I'm trying to figure out how to navigate it.
One of the first things I was instructed to when I started working at
Lifepoint at the Missions Coordinator was to replace myself. I remember thinking how strange that assignment was because, hello?? I had just started working there! And to be frank, I made the decision to ignore that suggestion. More than that, I was adamently opposed. I loved my job of taking teams of people around the world on mission trips and in no way did I want to give it away. One thing that you should know about me is that I'm a bit of a loner. I like to work alone. No teams for me. Unless I'm the leader. (Hey, I'm not saying these are GOOD qualities!) So, for years, I went at it in that manner.
Then, for no reason I recognized, God told me to include two other specific couples in the trips to Mexico. And surely enough, God started putting others in charge of things I thought I would be in charge of. It was all so natural, so organic. I never thought much about it, honestly.
But then, God told us to move. And suddenly it all made sense. God was doing the assignment for me. And now I understand why I was told to replace myself in the first place. I love that 100's of people from
Lifepoint love Mexico the same way I do. And I love that 250 children are being fed at the local elementary school and I have nothing to do with it anymore. I in no way would ever want any of that to feel my absence.
So here I am, months out from our move, and I've been replaced. I'm in no-man's land. I don't know what to do with myself! Honestly, it's just so strange.
That's why I'm so glad I took
Jessi Connoly's class on Thriving in Transition through the
Influence Network. It's exactly what I needed. Since I don't have it all figured out yet, I thought I'd share my notes from the class -- the things that spoke to me and my answers to some of Jessi's questions.
Thriving in Transition
What is the end goal?
The end goal is to live my life for Jesus more than I live it for myself. Pretty general, I know, but our goal in moving to Mexico is to be obedient to God. He told us to, so we are going. Some of the more specific goals are to help the people with free medical care and to get the children sponsors for school so that they can break the cycle of poverty.
If the Lord changes the end goal, that's His business. But don't try to change it because you start getting restless.
What's going to be the hardest part?
asking for help -- because of my pride and "loner" tendencies
What's the best part?
The best part of this transition period is the extra time I'm getting with Wade.
lean into it, love it, don't apologize for it.
Who is on the transition team? -- don't forget them!
When transition is not rushed or IGNORED, intimacy with God can go crazy -- LOVE THIS
Write through it, pause through it. Praise the Lord for it! Get excited with the Lord in it!
How others handle your transition:
RARELY will people guess how you feel. -- they will try, but rarely will they get it right. So, you're going to have to tell them.
It's LIKELY people will tell you how THEY feel about your transition.
People will PROBABLY want to help you.
What would it look like for someone to be FOR you? What does that mean to me? Space? Help? What?
For me: space, be a cheerleader.
You lose people in transition. -- (probably because I don't let them in.)
Look for the grace, and run with it.
Ok, I realize this looks random, but like I said, I'm still working through it all myself. Some of the things that I learned is to praise God in this period. To not just muddle through it but to embrace it fully and allow God to work in it.
Have you ever found yourself struggling to thrive in a time of transition?
