Transitions ...
If you are like me transitions are hard. Change is a challenge. On one level I dislike change, but know change is a normal part of life. When we think about it, some changes are hard, but others we look forward to with anticipation. Sometimes we feel both ways at the same time, both apprehension and anticipation are a part of change.
I have a colleague who retired at the end of June. He had to retire. He can no longer even turn over in bed on his own. Yet, he knows God has blessed him with many gifts. He misses preaching; he misses independence. He has seen this coming for over twenty years as a progressive neurological disease has gradually gotten worse.
Most changes are more mundane. A new school year. A new position. A new car or home. A first job. Retirement. The changes all come with tradeoffs. They are a part of life.
My wife and I have enjoyed the time we have spent here in Littlefield, but change comes. For us the immediate change will be as a full time Interim Transitional Pastor. For my wife it will be a temporary return to the church she went to as a young person.
We leave our friends and congregation knowing we will miss them. We return to the area where we met, and where we hope to eventually retire. We leave a congregation that will transition to a new day. We go to a church that knows we will only be passing through, while they seek a new pastor.
This all looks transitory. Yet, Isaiah 40:8 comes to mind, “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.” God’s word endures. His purposes will be accomplished. His work on our behalf in the death and resurrection of Jesus gives us an anchor, a hope, a certainty, as we look past the transitions to eternity.
God’s blessings be upon you all!
(Editor’s Note: This column is written by a different Littlefield pastor for the Leader-News each week. The columns are published on this page on Wednesdays.)