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How To Survive Transition

by Amanda Beattie

Most of us are facing some sort of transition right now. Just being a teenager is a serious transition, if you think about it. We're moving from living as kids to being adults. Some of us are adjusting to high-school, and others are preparing for college. Some are getting their first jobs; others are planning for a career. Life is constantly changing, and it can be pretty harrowing to ride through all the transitions we're faced with right now.

The End of Civilization as We Know It...

When I hit some of the big transitions in my life, I absolutely freaked out. I was sure that I couldn't handle any of it, as if it were going to be one big catastrophe. Whenever I would think about the next step -- whether it was learning to drive or getting a job -- I felt nothing but nervousness.

I didn't get my learner's permit until almost a year after I technically could have simply because I was scared to drive. I felt like I was too young; after all, grown-ups are the ones who drive, and I was only a kid. I might kill somebody with this thing! Every time I got behind the wheel, I was keenly aware of the fact that I was taking my life and the lives of others around me into my hands. And while it's good to be cautious when driving, I went above and beyond into good, old-fashioned paranoia.

I did eventually get over that -- just in time to graduate high-school. Talk about panic! I was constantly thinking about how much I didn't know about my life. I didn't know what I would study in college. I didn't know if I was ever going to get married or start a family. I didn't know where I would spend the rest of my life. My mind was always racing in circles, fretting about every detail -- getting nowhere and solving nothing.

To make a very long story short, with every transition I hit, I panicked. So much was beyond my control or my understanding. There was a whole world of choices and decisions I had to make but didn't want to think about. On top of my anxiety, I would mentally chastise myself for being so worried, which just made everything seem worse. With every change in my life, I wondered how on earth I would survive it.

Don't Panic!

Well, obviously I did survive it; otherwise you wouldn't be reading this article right now. Transitions can be huge, and sometimes they're intimidating, but take heart in remembering that they're survivable. Everyone -- without exception -- goes through transitions at some point in their life, and everyone feels that uncertainty of entering into the unknown.

Since everyone does go through this sort of thing, you can remember that you're not alone in this. You're surrounded with brothers and sisters in Christ who have been through or are currently walking out the same thing. And no matter what it may feel like right now, people have been known to survive this stuff. If they can do it, so can you.

You Don't Need to Be a Know-It-All

My biggest fears going through transitions had to do with the fact that I didn't know everything. I felt like I had to have a great, flawless plan laid out for how my life would look from the time I was fifteen to the time I was one hundred. Of course, I didn't have one, and I don't know of anyone who has.

This is part of the beauty of being a Christian. We may not know everything, but God does! And His opinion of our lives is the one that matters. He's ordering our steps, and opening doors for us to go through. Yes, we need to have a vision for our lives, and yes, we need to seek direction and a plan; but even within that, there's a lot that we simply can't know right now.

But that's okay, because the all-knowing, all-seeing, all-powerful Creator of the Universe has your life in His hands. He's a good God and a trustworthy Lord who has awesome plans for you. Life can be unpredictable, but God is great...so everything's going to be OK.

Life Applications:

Are you in a time of transition right now? Is there one coming up?
How do you feel about current or upcoming transitions in your life?
How does knowing that God's in control help you think about transition?

Copyright 2004 by by Amanda Beattie
All rights reserved.