Have you ever said something so obvious, you wonder why you had to say it? I find myself saying such a statement much more often recently. Funny thing is, I tell it to myself more than anyone else. Even funnier, I need to hear it. What’s that statement?
“Transitions are hard.”
Though it has been a year since I moved, I am still transitioning…and it’s hard!
Though it has been six years since I began reexamining my values and faith, I am still transitioning…and it’s hard!
Though it has been ten years since I began evaluating my self-health and worth, I am still transitioning…and it’s hard!
Much of what we do at Amazed is transitional work. We help congregations and leaders discover what healthy institutions and people look like and how to get there. Ultimately, we help you grow into who you are.
Too often we believe the myth that if we choose the “right” thing, we will have an easy way with it – if we choose the right partner, our marriage will be easy, if we choose the right profession, our job will be easy, etc. Of course, none of this is true. Making the right decisions never guarantees an easy road.
This is especially true when it comes to growth. Growth means moving away from something we once thought, believed, assumed, or did towards something new. It necessitates a transition from one thing to another.
And. It’s. Hard.
We need this reality said to us so we can move forward. We need to know it is okay for things to be hard. Do we end with that though? Of course not! I think it is best to end with hope and a promise.
First, the hope: “Nothing worth having in this world comes easy.” Now, I know, this doesn’t sound like hope, but hear me out. If growth and transition is so hard, so annoying, and so frustrating to do, why do it? Because on the other end is something worth having. Maybe it’s a better marriage. Maybe it’s self-acceptance. Maybe it’s a congregation changing the world one person at a time. Whatever it is, we do the hard work because it’s worth it. It won’t always feel that way. It may take a while for the hard work to pay off. But, in the end, growth and transition are worth the effort, the work, and the hardships.
Second, the promise: “Come to me, all you who are struggling hard and carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest…My yoke is easy to bear, and my burden is light” (Matt. 11:28,30). Jesus’ yoke is easy not because the work is easy, but because we do it with him! He carries much of the weight for us. We work because he works with us. And when that work becomes hard, Jesus promises us rest. So, we actually have two promises! One, when we do the hard work, we do it with God. Two, when we are exhausted, weary, and spent, Jesus comes beside us and gives us rest.
Transitions are hard, yes. On the other side, though, is something worth having. Even more, Jesus walks with us in those transitions and gives us rest throughout them!
Nate Whittaker, Coach
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