Grace for the space in between
"I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it?"
Transition is unavoidable. We know it is coming, for all of us. We see it coming. We often know when we’re in the midst of it. And yet, we struggle with it.
I feel like I’ve spent a lot of time in this ‘space in between’ - that time and place somewhere between where I’m at today and that next God-given, grace-filled season.
Old system, new season
It was September 2020.
I’d just seen countless miracles moving my family from South Australia to Redding, California at the height of COVID (that’s a story for another time).
We were at the beginning of a radical new adventure, and it was scary and exciting.
After a decade as a stay-at-home Mum, Hannah was going to full-time ministry school.
After 15 years building my career and businesses, spending my days at the office, I was now working from home and juggling school drop offs and pick ups alongside client calls and demands from my Australia-based clients.
We were in a new season, that was obvious, and I knew exactly what I was getting myself into.
But I was anxious every day, as I battled to find my new rhythm, unable to get to my desk to chip away at my ever-growing to-do list.
Previously I was spending 8-10 hours a day working with minimal disruption, now I was only managing around four hours a day and unable to build any kind of momentum.
After a few weeks of living under fear and frustration, I remember walking around the block early one morning praying about my struggles and I felt the Lord say: “You’re trying to use an old system in a new season”.
Recognising the new season wasn’t the problem, my response was.
I had failed to come into alignment and adapt, and it was stopping me from fully coming in to what was next.
Even though my life had completely changed, I was still expecting to do what I’d always done - just in a new location with a few extra responsibilities.
In reality, I needed a new system, a new rhythm, a new way of being, a new lifestyle and a new set of expectations.
Knowing my season wasn’t enough, I needed to recognize what God was doing in me and my family during this period, and adjust my life accordingly.
With repentance and a practical response, almost instantly I received the grace I needed, and the heaviness and anxiety left.
Notice I said ‘I received the grace’, not the answers.
The uncertainty, unpredictability and general clunkiness of this season was still there, but I now had the supernatural empowerment to navigate it well.
There’s no formula for your transition or season
If you’re looking for a template to get through transition and land safely and comfortably in your next beautiful season, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment.
It is important to face facts, knowing that:
You can’t escape or avoid transition
It can be a lonely time, often between you and God alone
You are unlikely to get all the answers or the blueprint for your future
Life is not linear, as author Bruce Feiler says in his book Life Is In The Transitions, so stop expecting a straight and predictable path
It might sound harsh, but simply acknowledging this reality will bring instant peace.
Provision in transition
Some of the best biblical insights for navigating life’s seasonal shifts are found in Isaiah 42 and 43.
'“Do not remember the former things, Nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert. The beast of the field will honor Me, The jackals and the ostriches, Because I give waters in the wilderness And rivers in the desert, To give drink to My people, My chosen. This people I have formed for Myself; They shall declare My praise.'
Isaiah 43:18-21
Do not remember the former things. There is a call to stop looking back.
I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? The new season is here, recognise it!
Road in the wilderness … rivers in the desert … Drink to my people/my chosen. The wilderness and the desert is ‘the space in between’, and I believe that God is promising to direct us, sustain us and provide for us in our time of transition.
How do we respond?
Going back to my example, I spent a lot of time restlessly fighting, straining and crying out because I hadn’t been intentional in my response.
We must first be present. Sit with yourself, recognize your feelings, take stock of the previous season - the good, bad and ugly. Be thankful for it all. Resist the anxious desire to immediately have all your questions answered and work out your future.
Know where you’re at … In prayer, ask for help … to know what you really need, emotionally, relationally and in your connection with God. Ask what this time of transition needs to look like for you and what God is doing in this time.
… Then adapt . Based on what you learn in process, now pray and ask how you need to respond and adjust. Be intentional. Resist the fearful desire to do what’s comfortable or what you’ve always done. Respond in obedience.
Actions
Read Isaiah, chapters 42 and 43
Follow the steps above, focusing on 1) being present and taking stock 2) asking for help in prayer to know where you’re at and 3) asking the Holy Spirit to help you respond and adjust to the transition/season
Journal what you hear and learn, writing out the outcomes to keep yourself accountable
Prayer
Jesus, I thank you for who you are, and I acknowledge you as Lord of my life. I surrender my life to you, including all the times and seasons, and ask for your perfect will to be made manifest in my life.
I repent for trying to do life my own way, for trying to control my life and for partnering with fear and anxiety.
I thank you for the previous season and everything you did. And I thank you that you are with me in this time of transition, as you prepare me for the new thing, and you supply my every need on the journey.
Help me to know where I’m really at, including all of my needs, and most importantly my need for You.
Give me wisdom to know what you’re doing and how I need to respond and adjust.
I trust you with my life, and give you full permission to lead me.
In your name I pray, amen.
Read a little more about how the Waypoint journey started.