Transition and Comparison

On New Year’s Eve Justin and I reflected on the fact that this was our 17th New Years together! I don’t know about you but that just sounds like a lot of life spent together. Over those years we have experienced several “life transitions” together both good and bad. I would define a life transition as simple as this: change that affects life, as you know it. Often times the rhythm of life starts to feel comfortable and familiar and then in the blink of an eye you find yourself in transition.

When Justin and I got married in 1995 we never expected our first year to be filled with so many transitions. Within the first four months of marriage we moved three times and found out I was pregnant! I was barley twenty, newly married and now pregnant. Justin graduated from college, we moved AGAIN eight hours away from family, started our very first ministry and 5 days after our 1 year anniversary had our first baby boy. All… in…2 months!

I wish I could say that after that first year life settled down.

It didn’t!

In-fact, over the next several years’ life transitions would continue to come at us at an overwhelming pace.

Fifteen years have now come and gone and we have been able to take some time to look back and reflect on many of these life transitions. The phrase we continue to repeat to one another is “if only”…

• If only I knew how hard moving away from family and friends would be
• If only I knew how to handle our finances
• If only I knew how a new baby would effect my mind, body and relationships
• If only I knew to buy stock in Apple Computers! (just kidding)
• If only I knew how hard it would be to share everything with someone else
• If only I knew that me without sleep equals disaster
• If only I knew that comparing my life to others would always lead to disappointment

Christian or not we play this horrible game called “COMPARISON”.

If you’re in ministry or married to a pastor I believe we take this game to a whole other level. This game involves your life and any other person you feel you should be more like. It’s a game many people quietly and secretly play until a life transition comes in to play. It’s at this cross road that we either seek God or implode as we chase after an ending that was never meant to be a part of our story.

Justin and I would like to spend this week walking through some of our hardest life transitions.

Our hope is to expose the “if only” and “Comparison games” we found ourselves trapped in so that you may find freedom from yours. We know that 2011 will continue to bring unexpected transitions.

Our prayer for you and for us is that we will grow in our ability to seek God every step of the way.

What has been your most surprising transition?