Transitions: movement, passage, or change from one position, state, stage, subject, concept, etc., to another; change.
Let’s be honest: Transitions are hard. They’re uncomfortable, challenging, difficult, unavoidable, and they just feel icky sometimes, you know? They mean leaving behind something familiar: a season full of memories, a space that has become comfortable, good friends, common places, and moving forward into a place that feels less than secure. Transitions can mean making new friends and getting used to new place(s). At times they feel a bit shaky and really uncertain, but instead of getting lost in it, we should try to squeeze everything out of it that we can. These in-betweens are where we grow the most. And no matter how uncomfortable it feels—learning to enjoy the process is important.
Since recently finding myself in the middle of a huge transition from a place full of people, memories, and places that I love to a place where I don’t really know what the heck is going on or what I’m really about to get myself into for the next 11 months, I have been learning a lot about how to survive the in-between:
1) BE INTENTIONAL
I constantly strive to be intentional with my life. I want to be intentional about the people I’m around, the friendships I create, my time, and my money. Just because I’m in a weird in-between doesn’t mean I can’t still be intentional.
2) Make every single moment with friends and family special.
Don’t take a single second for granted.
The time will be gone before I know it so I'm hugging longer, staying up later, saying “I love you” lots of times, laughing more, and just enjoying the time I get to spend with the people I will miss dearly these next 11 months.
3) Don’t neglect time with Jesus.
There are so many things Jesus is teaching me in this transition…I just have to constantly make myself aware of it. I'm reading more, writing more, and just generally try to listen more. Jesus is talking.
4) Drink lots of coffee.
Because coffee is good and magical things happen while drinking this delicious beverage (also, I might be starved for it next year, so I’m drinking it every chance I can get).
5) Stop comparing.
I'm learning to stop comparing my transition season to other people’s current season of life. Or just to stop comparing my life to other people’s in general. For 2 big reasons:
-Social media is deceiving and makes everyone’s life seem way more magical, appealing, fun, perfect (all the other positive adjectives in the world ever) than mine. It’s not true.
-Comparison in general steals joy. Period.
Basically, I don't want to be so focused on the future that I forget that life is happening now. God is working through and in me even in this transition time–and I definitely don't want to miss out on it.
-k
—————————————————————————————————————————————————-
Just in case you missed it, my route has changed! Instead of going to Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda, my squad will be going to South Africa, Swaziland, and Mozambique! We launch to South Africa in less than two weeks! Thank you everyone for your support and prayers!
