Transition. Change.
Chances are, these two words either fill you with dread or fill you with eager ancticipation. I tend to be someone who likes change. I am a planner, but I also like to be spontaneous. I like to be comfortable and to know what I’m doing, but I tend to get restless and start to think about what’s next. That being said, not all change and transitions come super easy or natural to me, but I have learned over the years to be flexible and go with the flow. Thankfully, I am not someone who freezes at the thought of change. If you look over my life for the past year, it has been filled to the brim with change and big transitions.
Graduating College in May. Transitioned into my 2nd summer with YouthWorks by serving as a Site Director in Vermont. Transitioning out of the summer and immediately moving out on my own in a new town 2 hours away from my hometown. Starting my first year of teaching. Moving classrooms and grades in January.
All of that since last May. I tend to thrive on change and challenges. But that doesn’t mean it’s always easy. It is amazing to me to look back over all of these changes and to see God’s hand and His grace in them.
Looking at the next year of my life, the changes are just as many and have no plans of slowing down. As I said before, I tend to enjoy change and even thrive on it. The only problem is, that I am also a planner and can spend a lot of time thinking about what will come next.
The beauty of the Black Hills. Anticipation of diving into a rich culture. Meeting my teams for the summer-what will they be like, how will I need to lead them? Wondering what God will teach me and them this summer. The stories that I will get to hear and the ways I will get to see God work.
Curriculum. What will the students need next year? How can I best teach them? How do I wrap up this year well? What do I want my students to remember? Reflections of my first year-what a chaotic, challenging, and rewarding year. What do I need to do at home and school to prepare for moving?
Africa. Europe. Asia. Crazy new adventures. Beautiful sites and stories. What will God be teaching me at this time next year? Anticipation of challenging, growing, and good for the soul conversations with teammates.
On any given day, these-along with many others- are the thoughts that may be going through my head. There is so much happening in the next year of my life, that it can be a little overwhelming.
Wrapping up my first year of teaching. Creating and preparing a new program at the High School next year. Getting my house ready to move. Preparing to leave for South Dakota for my 3rd summer with YouthWorks. Moving in with friends after the summer. Starting to teach a new class of students. Preparing for the World Race and leaving in January.
That list is exhausting. And truthfully, thoughts of the year to come take up a lot of space in my brain currently.
These are all good things to think about. And some of them have to be thought about now. But, the reality is that I am not in all of those places yet, and may be missing out on the here and now if I am constantly looking to the future.
I have 3 weeks left in my classroom with the students that I’ve come to know and love. They deserve to have my full attention for the next 3 weeks. I owe it to them to be present, to bring my complete heart and mind to the classroom. If I don’t-I am not only cheating them out of a completely present teacher, but I am also cheating myself out of many laughs and lessons that they have to teach me. They will have a new teacher next year and I will have a new group of students. We don’t get a repeat of these days, so it is up to me to make sure that we are making the most of them.
I am so ecstatic to be entering another summer with YouthWorks- an organization that has helped mold me and my faith more than they know. This year I am leading 3 teams, who deserve to have my complete presence this summer. I am excited to live, learn, and laugh with them on reservations in South Dakota. I count it a privilege to be able to lead them all professionally and spiritually. I cannot wait to get to know and learn from the culture and the people there. I know that God has big plans for the summer and many lessons to teach all of us. My intent and prayer is to be present with the people and the moments this summer. To focus on the summer and to not take away from what God has for me by spending my moments worrying or planning for my new class or the race. BUT, I am not in the summer yet, and while there are things I need to do to prepare now for the summer, I also need to remain present right here, right now with what’s ahead these next 3 weeks before the summer starts.
I am excited to be starting a new program at the High School in the town I’m currently teaching in. It is an opportunity and a program that I have a heart for. I’ve been planning curriculum and and ready to dive into it. But again, that is not here yet. I have the rest of THIS school year and the summer before the next school year starts. I need to remain present in these to live and to learn what God has for me to learn before the next season.
And of course, in January I leave for the World Race. This is a huge step of faith and an exciting journey that is never far from my mind. But I am not there yet, and God has me in all of these other places first, for a reason. I have much to learn, people to meet, and disciplines to strengthen before I launch in January.
I say all of this to give you a glimpse into my life and my thoughts as I spend the next 8 months living life and preparing for the Race. It also serves as a reminder and to hold myself accountable. I don’t want to miss out on what God has for me right NOW because I’m too busy planning for the future. I don’t want to miss out on relationships with people that are right in front of me now. I don’t want to miss out on ministry opportunities in my own community and life because I’m too busy dreaming about the ministry I will be doing elsewhere. I can spend the next 8 months wishing away the time and transitions or I can spend my time intentionally with the people that God has placed in the path along the way. I can spend time daydreaming the days away, or I can spend the time praying for each of these transitions and placements that God has put in front of me. Overall, the theme is that I can choose my way and plans or I can choose God’s way and plans. I choose to embrace God’s plan and my prayer for the next 8 months is that He will open my eyes and heart to the people, needs, and lessons that He has in this moment and this place for me.
And after talking to a lot of people, I know that I am not alone in the challenge to live in the moment. If you have some big transitions or changes coming up, or even just a busy plate, I urge you to take a moment to look around at the here and now. Instead of counting down the days til you graduate, your kids are older, your vacation, your promotion, your move, you meet your next goal. . . .whatever it is-you fill in the blank, take some time to really look around in this moment. God has you where you are at for a reason. You may be in the middle of a very challenging stage in life that you can’t wait to get out of. It may be a rewarding stage and enjoyable stage that you are not in a hurry to leave. Wherever you are at in life, I just challenge you to embrace it. To pray that God will focus your heart and mind on that moment. To linger in it and to give your full presence to the people and the tasks in that stage. We tend to miss a lot when we just focus on whatever’s next. God has lessons to to teach us and ministry for us to do if we would just pay attention. Chances are, whether we are loving or hating the stage we’re in now, if we would just be all in, we would enjoy it that much more.
So, go out. Live intentionally and authentically. Embrace the moment. Let God lead you to what He has for you now. Spend some time with Him and let this moment prepare you for the next one.
P.S: I am now 25% Funded! Thank you so much for the support and the words of encouragement!
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