I feel many of us are going through a crossover/transition time. Some of us have been there for a while. The thought that impressed on my soul this morning: We need to learn to “travel light”.
The baggage from the past season will slow your transition. Make a dedicated effort to travel light. What do you need to leave behind? For most of us, these are soul issues:
1. Forgiveness: Unforgiveness hinders transition. Your soul needs peace to fully begin dreaming and perceiving the new. Write a list of people to forgive or seek forgiveness from, people and things to release from this season. These issues can literally hold you captive in an old season as your heart replays all the pain and bitterness begins to take root. Holding a grudge and hate is not worth it. There’s only one loser; you. Actually, two losers – the people who would have benefitted from you stepping into your new season and offering all gold- all your skill and talent!
2. Count and acknowledge your losses: what have you lost in this season? opportunities, people, finances…hope? Spend time acknowledging the losses. Spend time grieving them and spend time releasing them. Loss and grief can trap you in the past season. You will find your mind replaying the losses especially in this season of change. There is a darker force who loves to remind you of how hopeless things are and would love to keep your focused and locked on the pain.
3. Look straight ahead: Some of the opportunities you have been trusting and praying for are here and now but there is also a lot of noise an chaos all around. If you look to the side you will see the high waves, staring back at you as you try and walk across the parted sea. It takes faith to know you will reach the other side and they wont come crashing in. So whatever move is coming, whether geographical, jobwise; Look ahead towards it. When you’re done assessing your past, move forward. Keep your eyes looking forward. This may mean planning your transition, placing things in your calendar, updating your cv and profile etc. You may need to take some time out to do this. Take a day or two away, book an air bnb or whatever you need to do to rest, dream, plan. The next steps of your life depend on it.
4. Guard your transition: Do not share too much with people who are not part of this process. Learn to be silent and focused. Not everyone cares and not everyone is joyful of your progress. Lana Vawser has a great word on this: https://lanavawser.com/2020/09/24/i-heard-the-lord-say-guard-the-transition-wisely/
5. Lastly; fight to keep your joy! Depression is real and a dream killer. Replaying the past, fear of the future, disappointment of the present, the heaviness in the air, spiritual complexities; all these lead to a depressive pit that swallows your dreams. Our job is to maintain the joy that is accessible deep within. Practical things like keeping away from negativity (negative people, places, news…), and unpacking the pain with God will help the joy to begin to flow and strengthen us from within. We can then begin to believe for new beginnings.
