Is it almost May already? We are well into the 2nd quarter of 2019. I pray most of you have been faithful to begin the assignment that the Lord has given you in this new year. I also pray that momentum is still moving you forward- even if you have had some challenges with consistency along the way. Don’t get discouraged – transition in any form can be challenging.
For example, during childbirth, the third stage of labor is called transition. It is the most intense part of the childbirth process. The intensity of the contractions is harder, the frequency more furious, and the pain becomes more intense. It’s the final phase before the pushing begins.
I have noticed that this time of transition from the old season into the new mimics the transition phase of childbirth A LOT! Why shouldn’t it? We are about to birth something new!
God is doing a new thing!
We speak that phrase almost as a colloquialism. It’s a phrase that builds hope, excitement, and an increase in faith…however, it does require a transition.
Out with the old…in with the new
Just like the birth of a new baby changes the lives of the parents, the new thing requires the same demand for change. It’s hard to do a new thing while you’re still doing the old thing. More time and effort are required due to the learning curve. Money and a different set of skills and resources may also be required to birth the new thing. The children of Israel found themselves in a transition period as they left Egypt and journeyed to the Promised Land.
The rabble with them began to crave other food, and again the Israelites started wailing and said, “If only we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost—also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. -Numbers 11:4-5 (NIV)
They began to complain about the wonderful food they had while they were enslaved…at no cost.
EXCUSE ME? While the Israelites may not have paid an observable or quantifiable cost, they paid a high imputed cost…the cost was their FREEDOM!
The Israelites entered Egypt fruitful, prosperous, mighty, and strong in numbers. The new Pharaoh saw how blessed they were and became threatened. He enslaved the Israelites and made their lives bitter with hard bondage. The Egyptians were ruthless in their dealings with the Israelites (Exodus 1:6-13). Yet, when faced with the beginning of a new thing, they longed for the more comfortable and familiar place, even if it was bondage.
What bondage are you craving?
Is it a high-stress job that required long hours, made you work overtime and on the weekends, but paid more than your current gig?
Is it a bad relationship that you exited, but now you are reminiscing on the good times and willing to overlook the toxicity, just to fill a void?
Perhaps you are craving a place of routine and safety while God is stretching you and calling you out of your comfort zone.
The cravings stem from an often-overlooked place of change and transition…your mindset.
The Israelites, a once prosperous people were now enslaved —not by taskmasters anymore, but by a poverty mentality. They were ready to trade their new-found freedom for the meat of old.
Remember, it’s a NEW thing!
Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them. – Isaiah 42:9 (KJV)
Like us, the Israelites didn’t focus on the first part of the verse. Before the new thing can be established, the former things must “come to pass”. This means that something must end, cease, or modify from its original state. Former things are just that – former. They have fulfilled their purpose, manifested in their season, and transpired to bring you into the next place on your journey. Conflict arises when we try to bring former things into the season of the new thing.
God takes the Israelites on a journey through the wilderness to shed the former paradigms of Egypt before they enter the Promised Land. Instead of meat and vegetables at the cost of their freedom, God shows himself as provider and sustainer by providing them fresh manna from heaven and water from a rock. Instead of looking to their slave masters as lords, God wants to redirect the Israelites to trust to him as Lord.
God is doing the same thing as He calls you to leave safe, familiar territory and trust Him for the new thing. It is imperative to shed the restrictive mindset of old to embrace the download of new plans and strategies. And, although you can’t see the Promised Land, it is vital to believe He is faithful to lead you to the new thing which He promised.
Change is good and necessary!
In this new season, you may have to release some people, places, and things. Let me tell you from experience- God has challenged me to leave some places & things in this new season that were good…no, great….even wonderful! In all their splendor, they were still former things. I had to release them to follow God into the new thing, believing what He had for me was greater.
God may even be calling you to leave a physical or geographical location. Some of your relationships may even end or modify in nature. Look for new people to come into your life with keys and resources for the next stage of your journey. Divine shifts and realignments are occurring during this time. Pray and ask God for wisdom and instruction so you may be able to have balance and steward the transition well.
Just like the mother who gives birth to her child after 14 hours of labor, 2 epidurals, and an inevitable C-section, the pain of the journey is all erased when you stare face to face with the awesome new gift that God has given you!