In his book Managing Transitions, William Bridges distinguishes between change and transition. He writes, “Change is situational. Transition, on the other hand, is psychological.” Change is what happens; transition is the adjustments we make in response to the change.
One of the most famous stories of transition in the Bible is that of Moses, who God calls to lead his people out of oppression into freedom. As the Red Sea closes in over the Egyptians, the finality of the change settles into the hearts of the Israelites. There is only forward movement. They leave Egypt quickly, yet it takes some 40 years in the wilderness for the Israelites to adjust to the transition and live into their identity as a free community. The transition is arduous, long, painful, and involves loss and grief.
It’s tough to sit in the discomfort and disorientation of in-between times. Yet these times are also filled with possibility. Transition exposes how much we thought we knew and how little we actually knew. In the unknowing, we leave space for God to act, and we pay attention to the ways God is already acting.
This message is excerpted from “Transitions open us up to newness” by Jennifer Hackbarth in the August 2023 Café online magazine.
Copyright © 2024 Women of the ELCA. Inquiries for permission to reproduce should be directed to [email protected].