Transitions always begin with an ending. There is death before there is life. You can’t get to the resurrection without going through the cross. Jesus says in Mark chapter 8, “For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it.” In her book How to Lead When You Don’t Know Where You’re Going, Susan Beaumont translates this verse as “We lose ourselves in order to find ourselves.”
Transition is spiritual work. Opening ourselves up to the Spirit’s movement is risky, and we often resist the Spirit or introduce change when the Spirit asks us to sit still. We get caught in our own egos and forget to listen to the Spirit’s guidance.
There is peace in letting go. In my difficult moments, I hope to remember it’s human to struggle with letting go and to sense the presence of the Spirit with me.
This message is excerpted from “The spiritual work of transition” by Jennifer Hackbarth in the August 2023 Café online magazine.
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