Time for another change

            My wife and I have just stepped into a transition time.  This past Sunday, after our morning worship service, I read my resignation to our church family.  While it was something that had been brewing in our hearts for some time and something which we are supremely confident that God wanted us to do, it is still very difficult to declare an end to a pastoral relationship with people whom you have served with and loved for almost 9 years.  In some ways; it is made more difficult for us since we do not know yet where we are going next.  We are simply convinced that God has said "start walking; I'll let you know when you get there."  A good friend of mine sent me this quote from Francis Chan and it means a lot to me right now: "God doesn't call us to be comfortable. He calls us to trust Him so completely that we are unafraid to put ourselves in situations where we will be in trouble if He doesn't come through!"
            Relative to this significant time of transition for my family and for our church family, I thought I'd re-post some thoughts I shared last summer on this blog.  They are more meaningful to me today than they were even then.  Hopefully they will encourage your heart today as you face the changes and transitions that are taking place in your life right now.

I’ve heard the old adage quoted on several occasions recently that “change is inevitable; except from vending machines.” I would say the same is true of life transitions as well. In fact, I believe that we should not only anticipate transition; we should embrace it and look for the next opportunity to move through it. I draw this from a familiar verse of Scripture in 2 Corinthians 3:18. “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.”

In one sense, we are in a continual state of transition. From the description Paul gives, it is a lifelong process. Paul told the Roman Christians that they should purposefully pursue this transition by changing how they think (Romans 12:2).

Transitions are all around us. We strap in for the ride when we get “downsized” at our company and begin the process of seeking new employment. We transition from one stage to another as we become parents for the first time, or watch our kids go off to school for the first time, or hang on through the tumultuous years of adolescence or see them move away from home to be married or begin their work years. We transition from youth to adulthood to middle age to the “golden years.” We transition from single life to married life and eventually (for many of us) to single life again as our spouse leaves this life before us. Life is full of constant transitions. Some of the transitions are joyous; some are difficult; even painful.

I simply want to offer a reminder to you today that the process of transition in life means you are still alive and that God still has something in store for you. He is still in the process of transforming you for future effectiveness. A quote I found on change applies to transition as well: He who rejects change is the architect of decay. The only human institution which rejects progress is the cemetery. ~Harold Wilson

I want to embrace that. I do not want to be counted among those who resist being transformed at the deepest level. I want to pursue transformation. I want to embrace transition. It means God isn’t finished with me yet. I want to be more effective as I serve God in the future than I have even been before. How about you?