Transition

<<changeover>>

It is a process or period of change, from one state or condition to another. When moving from childhood to adulthood, many changes take place in the physical body. Certain behaviours that were once acceptable from children are no longer so and new responsibilities should take their place. Any changeover from the known to the new will bring excitement, apprehension and stress as it is outside our comfort zone.

In our Christian walk, we should be in the continual state of change for the better – growing more into the image of Christ (Rom 8:29; 2 Cor 3:18). God loves us, but He loves us too much to leave us the way we are. He desires we embark on a journey of transformation – to be the new creations we in

Don’t focus on who you are, rather who you are becoming

theory are, and to reflect His nature (2 Cor 5:17). We must co-operate and deal with the root issues in our heart, with our sin-tainted nature decreasing while God’s good nature is increasing (Jn 3:30). Paul calls it putting off the ‘old self’ and putting on the ‘new nature’ (Eph 4:22-24). This process starts with an event – the decision to become a Christian, yet becomes a lifelong pursuit of growing in righteousness. No aspect of our person or our lifestyle will be exempt from the Lord’s refining.

Hold onto the positive, it’s easy to be negative and resist change, yet God is always trying to lead us forward into new territory with Him, however this is dependent on our co-operation to make the right choices and progress along the path of life. It can be unsettling but there needs to be a commitment, to “obey as we did in the past” (Josh 1:16,17). Keep your eyes on Jesus and envisage the future blessing, not the inconvenience of the present (Heb 12:2,3). He is always transforming us and moulding us to be something different than we are. God is the potter and we are the clay that He is shaping into a vessel that after the furnace is ready for use (Isa 64:8; Jer 18:6; 2 Tim 2:21).

The Israelites left Egyptian slavery for freedom, but got stuck in wandering the wilderness for 40 years. They did not transition well. Times of transition are never comfortable but will always reveal your character and require obedience to be successful. During these stages of changeover learn from the Israelites – watch your thoughts and words (don't murmur and complain), stay close to Christ realising greater faith is needed than in the past. How others are transitioning will spill over and affect our transition – we must have a firm foundation in Christ so we are not swayed by peer pressure.