Transitions are hard. Even when we know the change is necessary—and even good!—in the middle of transitional seasons, we often find ourselves looking around at the mess and questioning everything. Can we go back to the way things were before, when everything seemed to have a place? “Where does *this* go now?” we wonder, and find ourselves wishing for the order and settledness we once knew—even if we know we can’t go back. Even the earth’s perpetual seasons get a bit messy as they transition: flowers fall before fruit arrives, leaves litter the ground before the long rest of winter. What was front-and-center in the previous season, lies quietly on the earth, slowly turning to nourishment for “next”. In the meantime, though, it can feel disconcerting—to see what had been signs of life now lying there, dying in preparation for whatever is next. There are so many transitions we experience in our lives, in our work, in our relationships. What transition(s) do you find yourself in the midst of, right now? How are you moving from what-was into what-will-be? And how does it feel right now, in the in-between, in the messy middle? Sometimes when things get messy, we can begin to doubt ourselves, wonder if we’ve taken a wrong turn somewhere. But what if this is just part of it, even—especially!—the transitions that are important for our souls: that things feel out-of-place for a while? What if the “messy middle” is exactly where you’re supposed to be? How do you feel about the mess? Do you find yourself compulsively cleaning up? Or are you content to let things land where they may, in the process of becoming what you/your life will be? How might God be inviting you to hold this transitional time? How is *God* holding it—with you, for you—even with all the mess?

Posted by Jamie Bonilla at 2022-05-09 14:04:00 UTC