Transition

 

Transition. Change.

As I did the laundry this morning, I glanced out the utility room window, and paused, gazing at the garden acer tree which I so love. It is a pretty tree at most times of the year, with its undulating branches showing bare in winter, its pink buds in spring and of course, its magnificent deep reds in autumn.

Right now, it is in between. The leaves are starting to turn, and soon the whole tree will be ablaze. It's not yet at its best: at the moment it is in transition.

There is beauty in the transition, if I open my eyes to see it. I nearly started this blog by saying how much I hate change and transition, but looking at the acer, I had a revelation: there is beauty in the transition. I only have today, so where there is transition in my life, I ask God to open my eyes to the beauty in these moments, in this day. I want to live in anticipation, not trepidation. Anticipation that beyond winter is spring, with all its hope and promise.

Though I felt the message was a direct word to me from our loving heavenly Father, it had an immediate application for Mhairi, clarifying a situation and enabling a decision which instantly relieved stress and anxiety.

Life is precious and it is short. I don’t want to waste a moment dreading something, or ploughing through something with grim determination or anxious thoughts, both dreading and yet almost wishing for a coming change to be over. Jesus came to give us life, life to the full, and that does not include anxiety or dread.

God is so loving and gracious. I was awake in the night, and in prayer I asked him to transform my thoughts to his. By his grace he did that as I looked at that acer tree this morning. Isn’t he wonderful?