Transitions

Now that the people of Stonemill are safely a part of The Bridge (it's estimated that 90% made the transition and attendance is at an all-time high), Judi and I are fully engaged in the search for a new calling. Currently I'm in discussions with six churches, three of which are in the final stages. I preached last month at a wonderful church in Charlotte and will preach on the 14th in Dallas at another. Last week, I worked at the FBC Woodstock Men's Conference for one of the speakers, Dr. Bob Reccord. This week, we begin renovations on our house and will soon put it on the market. To put it mildly, we're in transition.
I've been reading Exodus for my devotionals and have been struck with how many great things happen during transitions. Moses becomes a man of God while he's on "the back side of the desert" watching the sheep of his father-in-law. Can you imagine what it must have been like for the "prince of Egypt" to be reduced to a sheep herder employed by his wife's dad? That's a transition! But that is when God began the process of transforming Moses into a warrior for God that defeated the dominant world power of his day. Transitions can feel like a waste of time. They shake our identities and force us to see life in entirely new perspectives. You think a lot during transitions. Who am I? Where am I going? What am I supposed to be doing? Surely Moses asked these questions as he sheared sheep and stared many a night at the Midian sky. But God was working, putting together an epic plan of redemption that would be THE definitive God-story most recalled from the Old Testament.
If you are in a transition, know that God is using it. Not only is He transitioning your situation, He's transitioning you. In the unseen realms of His providence, you are being changed for His great purposes. Just trust. God's not done. As a matter of fact, He may be just beginning!