Graduation. New job. New boss. New spouse. New child. New significant other. New house. New town. New life without someone we loved. New diagnosis. Life is full of transitions. Some we choose. Some are forced on us. But with every one, we have choices. How are we going to respond? How are we going to manage it?
The transitions I have experienced in my life are too numerous to name. You? I haven’t always handled them well. Have you? Are we likely to have more transitions in our lives? Yes.
What do we do? How do we? Can or will God help? As Christians, we look to the Bible and Christ’s actions and teachings for guidance.
Jesus transitioned. We talk about some big transitions at Easter, particularly that afterward when he ascended into heaven. He transitioned from heaven to human, life to death to life again, and then back to heaven. And he had others. But the one we talk about today is when he transitioned from a “normal life” to his ministry.
All of the Gospels talk about it. But today we talked about Mathew’s take on it.
We must choose to follow God. He has already chosen us.
God won’t lead us into temptation, our sinful nature and our fallen world will.
Being tested makes us stronger.
Our physical desires, our wants, our perceived needs may prevent us from successfully reaching our good goals, but we must remain strong.
We must not test God. We must use our God-given brain to make wise choices.
We must keep in check blind ambition and our ego-driven drive to accomplish those things that reward us with merely what the world values – power, money, things.
By connecting with God, by desiring his will instead of our own, by modeling Christ’s conduct in our own lives, we too can more easily and successfully manage transitions. And then, the ultimate transition.