Transitions

"Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.” So the place has been called Gilgal to this day. On the evening of the fourteenth day of the month, while camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, the Israelites celebrated the Passover. The day after the Passover, that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land: unleavened bread and roasted grain. The manna stopped the day after they ate this food from the land; there was no longer any manna for the Israelites, but that year they ate of the produce of Canaan."
Joshua 5:9-12

I have had a few transitions in my life that have been monumental. For me, a monumental transition is one where something of significance happens that changes the course and fabric of my life forever in a very profound way. Perhaps you have experienced transitions such as this. Two of my biggest life transitions occurred when I was married at the age of 24, and when my first child was born at the age of 26.

When I was married, I went from single man living on my own (and really only responsible for myself) - to a married man sharing my entire life with my wife for the rest of my life. I transitioned from independent and autonomous, to interdependent and a shared life. This moment happened when we said our "I Dos" and I distinctively remembering that my life will never the same again...and it has not. My story with becoming a Father was similar. The moment that Zach was born, Tanya and I lost our freedom to only make decisions for ourselves. We lost our sleeping routines, spending patterns, leisure time and many other aspects of our previous lifestyle. The requirement of caring for a child is an experience that changes your life.

The above passage describes a moment of transition for the people of Israel - a turning point from the old way of things to a new way of things. God had just brought them out of slavery in Egypt and through a 40 year desert sojourn towards the promised land of Canaan. God had been faithful to them in their old life, always providing for them, leading them, and protecting them. In fact, every day He provided for their needs by raining down manna from heaven for them to eat until they made it to the land flowing with milk and honey. The passage above describes the very moment that they made it into the promised land and ate their first meal from its fruitful produce. At that moment, God no longer needed to feed them their daily manna, and it stopped. For Israel, nomadic desert life was done, and settled life in Canaan had begun. A transition moment that changed their lives.

I believe that my marriage and the birth of my kids were moments of transition brought to me by God's good hand to lead me to a new place in my life, in much the same way that God led the Israelites through their moment of transition to the promised land. God provides for us before and after our transitions, though often in different ways, however our old life and our new life are both characterized by God's bountiful hand.

Today, lets celebrate this God who leads through life's transitions all the while providing us with exactly what we need.

Be God's, Scott