It is true that I am back from vacation, but I ran out of “week” before I could get Jason’s post in. So I asked him if he would help me out in my transition of returning from vacation and getting “my head back in the game” by writing a post about where he and his family are right now. Jason lives in Juneau, Alaska for now but will soon be making a transition to Oklahoma. Talk about night and day!! Anyway…here’s Jason:
I appreciate Bill and his heart and wisdom. We may have never met in person, but he has demonstrated true friendship. When Bill asked me if I wanted to write something, I said yes but then got stuck on what to write. “Write what you know,” they say.
This is where I am.
I’ve heard it said before, “God never shuts a door without opening another, but that hallway is hell.” I certainly seem to be living in the hallway right now.
Not hell as in eternal damnation, of course, just hell in the sense of feeling overwhelmed, finding my place, and trying to get way too many things done at the same time.
God has initiated a cross-country move for me and my family. We’ll drive from Alaska to Oklahoma and in a lot of ways start over (more info here and here). Right now we’re packing up while still leading a church family.
That’s challenging, but soon we’ll face new challenges. New jobs, new school for the kids, new house, new culture in some ways. Really, the transition is just heating up.
We’re leaving the church congregation we helped relaunch just over four years ago and though we tried to plan and get everything settled, we are still without a permanent leader to replace us and they’ll be moving locations for a while.
Transition.
Once Jesus was questioned about why He did things so differently than the Pharisees or even John the Baptist. I have to admit I have been asking Jesus similar questions. Why can’t it just go on this way? Why does it have to change like this?
“Nor do people put new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the wineskins burst, and the wine pours out and the wineskins are ruined; but they put new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.” –Matthew 9:17
Sometimes Jesus just wants to do something new. Despite all our planning and attempted manipulation (insert your own less harsh word if you like), He wants new wine so He looks for people ready to get uncomfortable and go through the process.
Old wineskins already went through the process and don’t have the elasticity they need. God won’t pour new into those because He has no intention of destroying anyone. Wineskins obviously don’t have feelings as they stretch and pull, but you certainly do. It’s hard to embrace.
Maybe you’re in transition. Maybe it’s really uncomfortable and feels like hell. I’m not saying all that goes away by recognizing what God’s up to, but at least there’s hope.
And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” –Revelation 21:5
Maybe, just maybe, you can join me in rejoicing in your transition.
What do you think? Are you experiencing the “new” and the uncomfortable that goes with it? What have you learned about transition?
Jason Stasyszen
(On Twitter)
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