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Monday, October 24, 2011

Transitions

Fall seems to be a built in time of year for noticing transitions.  (Enjoy these recent photos from around my neighborhood) Aside from the changing colors outside, and the noticeable difference in weather patterns, I start paying more attention to life transitions as well.  Instead of wanting to spend all of my freetime outside, I start looking forward to things like baking, and crafting.  I start getting the "itch" to study, and read.  My menus begin to reflect more fall flavors, and soups and stews start coming back to the party.  I even start to brainstorm ideas for Christmas gifts!


For whatever reason, lately I've been reflecting on life transitions as well.  We've been going through several as a family.  There are the more obvious transitions like going from a couple to being a family, or being a woman in the workforce, to being a stay at home Mom..  Then there are more subtle transitions - like my spiritual growth.


Some of these transitions have felt natural, and came easily to me.  Others have required a bit more effort on my part.  For instance, Nate and I can no longer just go out to dinner on a whim (or eat dinner together, for that matter!).  Our time together has to be planned, and intentional.  Even with careful planning, sometimes our best efforts are thwarted by a baby girl with an early appointment with her crib.  While I was working, I was used to getting up in the morning before dawn (my position at a local coffee shop required early rising!).  Now I'm usually up several times a night, so waking up around 7 am seems ridiculously early to my sleep deprived body.  While before even if my house was a mess, if I'd had a busy day at work I felt productive, now I need to have visible reminders around me to satisfy that need.  "Look, Honey!  I washed and folded six loads of laundry today!"

Even on the days when I've been working hard at being a Mommy, if I don't have "something to show" my husband at the end of the day, I wind up feeling lazy.  Surely there are lots of other Mommies out there who can nod their heads with understanding at this same conundrum in their own household!  After all, no wife wants their husband to walk in the door after they've had a long day of rocking babies, kissing boo boos, feeding babies, cleaning up after babies, reading stories, searching for Mr. Snuggles, etc. only to hear, "So, what did you do today?"

Then there have been the spiritual transitions.  When I was single, I had an awesome routine in place of spending time with God daily before bed.  I tend to be more of a night owl anyway, so this worked perfectly for me.  I remember having sweet times of prayer, and revelation in God's Word at 1 or 2 in the morning.  I could close the door, and I didn't have to worry about disturbing anyone else in the house with my late night devotions.  After I got married, I had to learn to do things a little differently.  Now there was the challenge of finding time to spend with God alone, as well as a time of devotions as a couple.

Needless to say, there were some days when I was much better at this than others.  Then came Mommyhood.  There seemed to be little time for sleep, let alone much else at first!  When Olivia was very tiny, I could put a Bible next to me while I was nursing, and read aloud to her.  To make a long story short, nursing was quite the process in the beginning, so it took a LONG time.  Anyone who has spent much time around a newborn knows that they eat often, so this system worked well for me.  For a while . . .

Then the process of shifting my time around began again - as I'm sure it will continue to do for the next several years!  On the positive side, these more recent life transitions have driven me to a point of utter dependency on God.  All those moments in the middle of the night with a screaming baby led me to cry out more than once "God, I need your grace and wisdom right now!"  And while it may sound trite, Scripture became my food.  I couldn't have gotten through the first few months of sleep deprivation, total cluelessness on what to do for my tiny, helpless baby, total lack of any alone time with my husband, an attention deprived dog, and a house that hadn't seen a good cleaning in weeks without constant meditation on God's Word.

Before Olivia was born, I took on the challenge of reading through the Bible in 90 days.  The entire Bible.  Cover to cover.  About 3 days in, I was thinking to myself how crazy I was to accept said challenge.  However, though it actually took me about 120 days, I was completely changed on the other side of that process.  If nothing else, I developed such a love for the Word of God!  It was and is living, breathing, and active in my life.  No other book could possible have that effect on me.  It was humbling, to know that God created me with the capacity to think His thoughts after Him.  To know that thousands of years after the words were penned, He still speaks to me through them.  Not a new concept - but so eye opening!

Nate and I have grown immensely in our walk with God over the past year, which has led us to transition between churches.  This transition has been anything but easy, and has pushed us even deeper into our trust in Christ.  Friendships have been tested, our character called into question, and the daunting task of finding a new church fellowship looms.  One thing has held us fast through all of this - and that is our unflinching faith in the Word of God.  It has reminded us that His opinion of us is the only one that matters, and His standard of what is right is the only one we will be measured by.  This has been so comforting in the face of criticism!

What about you?  Have you gone through any transitions lately?  What kinds of things have helped you adjust?  I'd love to know your thoughts.  Leave a comment below!  The time in transition may seem interminable now, but be encouraged!  They can be a time of blessing, and growth, if we have the right attitude about them.  If you're in the midst of one, hang in there!  Know that I'll be praying for you.


1 comment:

  1. Amanda, I was just telling my mom this similar story. I was finally in a PERFECT routine ...taking care of my mind, body and spirit and still having time to take care of my family. With a newborn a piece of me is missing many nights not having fulfilled the time with my mind, body, spirit and family. Many nights I would lay my head to the pillow and say in my tired weary head...goodnight god, thank you for this day. Such a difference from my nightly prayer / conversation / meditation with god before drake. I just keep reminding myself that I am doing the best I can and not to get comfortable with what I am doing. I am always looking for a day in which I can pray more, reflect on my day , and be of conscious mind when I am spending time with the boys....not to go through the motions:) With that being said I guess transitions are not always comfortable and I was reminded of that in something your mom said the other day...That god is preparing me for something during this transition...so I need to be open to the lesson and try my best to receive all this transition has to offer:)
    Love your BLOg:)
    peace, love and light
    JenWic

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