Finding Meaning In Transitions
As many of you know from a prior post, I have been engaged in my own grieving process about my decision to go half time at City House. I have been revisiting one of my favorite books that has supported me in finding meaning in times of transition. Making Sense Of Life’s Changes - Transitions - by William Bridges.
“Every transition begins with an ending. We have to let go of the old thing before we can pick up the new - not just outwardly, but inwardly, where we keep our connections to the people and places that act as definitions of who we are.”
“Endings are the first phase of transition. The second phase is a time of lostness and emptiness before life resumes an intelligible pattern and direction, while the third phase is that of beginning anew.”
Bridges makes the point that in our culture, we tend to skip over the inner work this all entails. We have this belief that if we just address the external circumstances that everything will be okay. But, the reality is that life is not this mechanistic. It is only when the inner life and outer circumstances are in alignment, when meaning is once again restored, that we can move forward with fullness of life once again.
It is an acknowledgement of the classic death and resurrection theme found in Christianity.
When I can embrace this, I find myself feeling much freer internally. I can wait and watch with anticipation for what God might be doing. I can resist the siren song of the culture to rush on with things, when just the opposite response is called for.
