This week, I’m thrilled to be a guest blogger on Voice of Courage as I share my story around a recent leadership transition and the heart lessons I discovered in making a new start.
What happens when we allow time to pace and see God’s transformation in the season?
Leadership transitions can be drawn out and difficult, at least in my experience. So when the time came to transition from church leadership back into a writing ministry, I was anxious to begin the process right away.
Since we were also in the middle of a move, I entered my transition season off tilt. Hoping to avoid problems, I arranged my new schedule around the move and dedicated a full week to unpacking. Two weeks later, a mass of bulging boxes still populated our garage.
I chaffed with impatience.
I had so many ideas for writing projects. “Lord, I just want to move forward!” I said as I prayed for guidance as to which projects to pursue. But a host of unexpected tasks seemed to sabotage every attempt to start anything new. First there were half-a-dozen trips to Target for brackets, bolts, shelves, and supplies. Then trips to Home Depot. Then off to the grocery store. Every day held the same rhythm — start, stall, stop — until I thought I’d scream with frustration.
Quit pushing.
The Lord’s voice barely pinged my radar. I felt like every drop of life-giving, creative juice within me was getting sucked into the empty boxes lining the driveway, into the endless trips into town, into the myriad of meals required at the end of what felt like 36-hour days.
Finally the unpacking pace slowed. My office was in place, but my thoughts were scattered. Though I had carefully preserved my quiet time throughout the ordeal, I struggled to focus. I felt exhausted, but restless. Too tired to think, but too agitated to be still.
Does any of this sound familiar? No matter how much we plan, leadership transitions are often difficult and unpredictable.They require a commitment to patience and flexibility, an allegiance to God’s agenda over our own.
Before we can experience the transformation that God has built into our seasons of transition, we have to stop fighting its bumpy process. Before we can experience the transformation that God has built into our seasons of transition, we have to stop fighting its bumpy process. Click To Tweet Because I was impatient to get started on a new path, I made the transition especially difficult—for me and my family.
Perhaps you need a “do over” as much as I do. Perhaps you need a chance to remember pacing and prayer and the power of God in your own transition season.
Here are three steps for a strong new start . . .
Click here to read the rest of this post over at Voice of Courage.