The title for today’s post is from Heraclitus, (c.535 B.C. – 475 B.C.) a Greek philosopher, who is best known for his doctrine of change being central to the universe.  It’s interesting that 2500 years later we’re still amazed at the rapidity of change around us.  William Bridges wisely observes, “It isn’t the changes that do you in, it’s the transitions.”   Change is situational whereas transition is psychological and we must understand the internal processes we experience as we go through a transition.

Are you experiencing any changes in your life – do you sense that you may be in a time of transition?  Any type of change can be stressful, even the positive changes in your life.  This post and those that follow will examine the principles that will enable you to successfully the transitions in your life.

You must first realize that any transition involves letting go and letting go involves loss – it is often painful.  We don’t realize what we had until it’s no longer there.  The book of Exodus reveals how the Israelites lived in bondage under the oppressive rule of the Pharaoh and his taskmasters.  God miraculously delivered them from their bondage and they experienced freedom for the first time in their lives!  The problem was they had not let go of the pleasures of Eqypt,

“We remember the fish which we used to eat free in Egypt, the cucumbers and the melons and the leeks and the onions and the garlic, but now our appetite is gone. There is nothing at all to look at except this manna.”  (Numbers 11:5-6)

When you’re in a time of transition you must first let go of the way it used to be.  I love this quotation by Andre Gide, “One doesn’t discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore for a very long time.”  This can be scary – we don’t want to let go.  One of the biggest reasons for indecision is people don’t want to let go and say no.  We need to realize that the grieving process is normal and part of the grieving process is learning to let go.

A few chapters later the Israelites encountered some difficulties in their journey to the promised land and they wanted to return to Egypt,

All the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron; and the whole congregation said to them, “Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness!  Why is the LORD bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become plunder; would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?”  So they said to one another, “Let us appoint a leader and return to Egypt.”  (Numbers 14:2-4)

Unfortunately, this generation of Israelites never made the transition to the promised land.  You can learn from negative examples that will help you in a time of transition.  Perhaps you’re currently in a time of transition and you’re experiencing fear and uncertainty.  Our next blog post will explore  how you may effectively process a time of transition. 

What is a transition you have recently encountered?