Which is constituted as MaKayla's most favorite day of the week. :)
It's cold...
Which constituted Kyle wearing three layers of shirts to work this morning.
And one mug of coffee at home with another hefty helping in his to-go cup.♥
(He said it was 64 degrees at his desk all day yesterday... Brrr...)
It's the dawn of a new day...
Which constitutes that God's grace is full & fresh & abundant.
I find it hard to believe that as I look at the calendar, October is nearing it's end & November is just on the brink of beginning. Summer has most certainly transitioned into fall & winter is just around the corner. Where has the year gone?
The word 'transition' has taken on a new meaning & depth for me in the past several weeks. Initially I would currently look at the word in a negatory way due to the context in which it has been posed to Kyle & I, yet as the two of us sat at the table last night discussing life, God convicted my heart & corrected my thinking.
- transition -
movement, passage, or change from one position, state, stage, subject, concept, ect. to another
a period during which such change takes place
a modulation in music
a passage that links one scene or topic to another, as in a piece of writing
As I think of transition, I think of many things...
Moving...
Changing...
Growing...
Strengthening...
Beautifying...
Preparing...
Progressing...
And I'm guessing that most women can relate to the word transition, as in stages of birthing...
An easy phase to work through?
Typically, no.
Necessary?
Absolutely.
Worth it?
Most definitely.
And the attitude in which we transition makes all the difference.
The problem is, we are a people who resist change.
We resist anything we aren't certain of.
We defy those things that might cause us discomfort or vulnerability.
We are a people who need assurance in the change.
Is it gonna hurt?
What can I expect?
Is there anything I can take to dull the pain?
Moses.
And all too often, we sell short...
Jonah.
We stop before we see the beauty of the end.
The reward for our endurance & perseverance.
Lot's wife.
If we can't see what it's going to look like, we would rather stay in the current state we are in.
Gomer.
We would rather hang on to the good rather than to take hold of the best.
The rich young ruler.
We lack faith.
Kyle & I have recently heard the words, "There would have to be a transition period & I'm not sure what that will look like. It's going to take time. Adjustments have already been made. Spots filled..."
This conversation rang loud & clear in my ears last night as Kyle & I shared together about where God has our family at this season-of-life.
You see, we've gotten a little (or a lot) off of the "road less traveled" that God specifically & uniquely has instructed our family to take. A road that many don't understand. A road that requires diligence, determination & discipline. A road that doesn't have an abundance of fellow travelers. A road where God wants us to have Him as our focus.
When MaKayla took her first "out-of-the-home" job back in August, we saw it as an amazing opportunity. A great thing. A perfect situation. I'm sure to most people from the outside looking in they thought, "Great. They're finally allowing that girl to get out & do something... To be something... To go somewhere... It's about time..."
The only problem with it all was, several years back God had instructed our family very differently...
To raise girls who stay at home until God gives them specific direction for life.
Where He wants them to go.
What He desires for them to do.
His plan.
His purpose.
Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city,
spend a year there, carry on business and make money."
Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow.
What is your life?
You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.
Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that."
As it is, you boast and brag.
All such boasting is evil.
Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.
James 4:13-17
Or until He provided them with a mate who would assume the role that their dad has held...
Provider ~ seeing that their needs are met
Protector ~ being their shield
Prophet ~ instructing them & teaching them in the ways of the Lord
Priest ~ standing in the gap on their behalf
For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife,
and they will become one flesh.
Genesis 2:24
The deceiver of all people, through the "amazing opportunity", tempted us to lose our focus...
Humbly I admit, we fell prey to the temptation.
Humbly I admit, the fault lies mostly on me.
I was the one who saw the opportunity listing...
Presented it...
Encouraged it...
Why didn't I line it up with God's Word...
And the vision God has placed upon our family...
The job didn't work out as perfectly as we had expected.
A car was purchased.
Another job landed.
What a wicked web we allow ourselves to weave...
All with the help & assistance of the one who longs to see us stumble...
Struggle...
Fall short of God's best for our lives.
We've all done it.
And then we choose...
Do we right the wrong...
Or do we just settle in for the long haul & make the best of the situation...
We already knew what God thought...
Minor health conditions surface...
Doctor visit...
Diagnostic testing...
Wake-up call.
"You're leaving..."
Counting costs...
Weighing options...
Haggling alternatives...
"We can't keep the good ones & can't get rid of the bad ones..."
Abandoned obedience...
"We'd love to have you back..."
Specialist visit...
More testing...
A fork in the road that requires a decision...
"You're always welcome..."
This way...
That way...
"We'll have a spot for you should you want to return..."
Either way there's a cost...
"You do a great job..."
Car payment...
A beautiful spirit/being stifled...
"Thank you for your hard work..."
The car payment, although not an easy feat, is conquerable...
A beautiful spirit stifled, an eternity of consequences...
Literally.
I appreciate the unconditional grace the world many times offers that sadly the Christian community fails to...
(Myself included...one thing I'm learning the essence of...)
(Myself included...one thing I'm learning the essence of...)
A beautiful spirit stifled with an eternity of consequences...
Not a chance in this world her daddy & I are willing to take.
Since August Mal & I have settled into a productive routine...
Care for chickens & gather eggs.
Breakfast.
School.
Lunch.
Bible reading.
Journaling.
Spending time together.
Deciding supper.
Preparing for our peeps to arrive home.
At first we didn't know what we would do without MaKayla being here...
It. Was. Hard.
We've adjusted.
I shared with Kyle that going back to three instead of just two will be different.
It will take adjustments.
Life will change.
I'm so grateful for his strong hand of leadership & authority...
In our home...
In our lives...
In our family...
Not dictatorship as some would perceive...
Leadership...
And then he said the word that has been hanging in the balance for me...
"transition..."
A-ha, there it was.
The word that had delivered negativity into my heart...
The word that would define our next few days & weeks.
God instantly got my attention.
If I didn't want others to see transitions in a negative light...
Neither should I...
I don't want people to see transitioning Kyle/me/us in as a difficult thing, and neither do I want MaKayla to feel as though Mal & I transitioning her back in to our daily routine to be difficult.
Effort...
An obligation...
A favor we are doing her...
Transitions bring strength...
And beauty...
Diversity...
And unity...
They bring growth...
And preparation for something more...
Something new...
Something exciting...
Especially when the transition is an act of obedience to God.
The reality of having our girl home again, fills my heart with joy.
It puts a song in my spirit.
It instills hope in our the future of our family.
Develop...♥
Hone her giftings...♥
It is hard for me to see her step away from a position & a place where she is valued...
Appreciated...
Effective...
Yet...
Home is truly where this girl, our girl...
This is where her heart is...♥
God calls each of us to a road less traveled...
A road specific to each of us...
Not to be compared to or measure by anyone else...
And I am more than eager to get back into the middle of the road of which He has called us.
Are you in the midst of a transition?
How are you perceiving it?
Are you in the middle of the road in which God has called you...
Or have you veered off of the path He has called you to take?
The transition may stretch you, but it will totally be worth it.
Push forward, my friend. ♥
"I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood and I--,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference."
~Robert Frost, 'The Road Not Taken'
