Root Awakening
Certain big questions loom large in transition. And the good news is that transition seasons are fertile ground for discovery if we're asking the right questions. Here are some of the right ones to be asking...
I'm pretty much bald. Have been for some time. It was in the gene pool, and I really don't have a problem with it. I've never had a second thought about passing up some product which claims to restore the roots under my scalp and magically grow a thick head of hair. Not gonna fall for it.
Last month I was a guest in the home of some friends. As I entered the shower I noticed a shampoo product called Root Awakening. I confess, I had to try it. Needless to say, the product failed to live up to its name. Guess it's too late for me.
In transition, I haven't been very successful at reviving dead roots. I once tried, during a year in the states between overseas assignments. It seemed to hold the magical formula. I was back in the town of my growing up years, revisiting people and places I once knew so well. It felt very nostalgic. But I failed to factor in that so much had changed during my long time away. Nostalgia ignores the reality of change. Years flew by and life went forward without me. Instead of sulking and feeling left behind, I needed to find stability somewhere else.
Things began to make more sense when I started paying attention to the roots.
Does your transition have you feeling rootless? Either gradually or all at once, you've been yanked out of your cozy environment, roots dangling. For some of us, the roots went down deep, which made the pulling hurt even more. For others, maybe the roots weren't as deep. But it still hurts.
In certain situations, the transition was never forced upon us. We chose it ourselves, but that doesn't mean it's easy.
It may be too late for a guy like me to grow hair on his head, but it's never too late to rebuild the root system through transition. Three roots that need to be looked after are:
- The roots of identity. Who am I really, at the core of my being? What false identities have I been trusting in?
- The roots of purpose. Why am I here? What am I meant to do? What value does it have? What's important?
- The roots of relationship. With whom should I connect? Who will be my friends? What will my support system look like?
These big questions and others like them loom large in transition. And the good news is that transition seasons are fertile ground for discovery if we're asking the right questions.
The chaos of transition subsides when we wrestle with questions that promote root growth. If you're in a transition right now, let me encourage you to wrestle with the big questions in your personal times of prayer and reflection. It may also be helpful to process these questions with a trusted friend, counselor or life coach.
Could it be that in transition God is calling us back to our roots? And roots – good roots - bring about strength, consistency, and further growth.
A song we sing in our church states that God and his love are constant through the trial and the change. Even when life gets turned upside down in transition, we have this constant assurance.
“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”
Are you preparing for growth by taking care of the roots? Transitions come and go. That which keeps us rooted remains the same.
Get help with your transition HERE
Turning Setbacks into Switchbacks
Why setbacks are important and how they can be leveraged as switchbacks to help us gain altitude during a transition climb.
“The path leading me to meaningful work and a way to make a living from it has been a long and twisting one. What looked at the time like setbacks or defeats look to me now more like switchbacks that enabled me to gain altitude.”
I can relate to the above quote. Central Asian mountain ranges are some of the most rugged and steep in the world. While traveling throughout that land I grew accustomed to hours of tedious climbing in order to cover the distance of just a few miles. From time to time a detour was necessary due to a recent landslide or avalanche. The setback could delay travel plans by hours, even days. One of my personal travel setbacks can be viewed HERE
The slow and tedious task of climbing upward is a good reminder that life is also full of steep, slow climbs, and a setback from time to time. From one traveler to another, I confess I haven't always seen the purpose in all the twists and turns. I've often complained, Why Lord? Where is this all going?
Here's some thoughts on why setbacks are important and how they can be leveraged as switchbacks to help us gain altitude during a transition climb:
- Setbacks reinforce our true identity. Feelings of failure and loss of identity are common among those of us who have wrestled with difficult transitions. Yet when we pause to reflect upon what is really important following a setback, we come to see the value God places on us as his kids, apart from achievement, reputation, title and position. Setbacks become switchbacks when we allow ourselves to be reminded of our true identity, and then take that awareness into the next challenge or opportunity before us.
- Setbacks are good for recalibrating. Transition seasons often present us with a myriad of options to choose from as we plan our next steps. A good portion of them are simply distractions disguised as opportunities. While some may be valid options for us to consider, others just keep popping up and getting in the way, causing loss of focus. In actuality, a closed door or rejected proposal may be just what we need to re-adjust and move forward in our transition with better clarity. Setbacks become switchbacks when we allow the natural process of God's choosing and leading to unfold in His perfect yet mysterious ways.
- Setbacks provide opportunity for inward, personal growth to catch up with outward, professional growth. Throughout certain stages of life, everything seems to coast along with little or no sign of personal or professional change. Then, sometimes gradually and sometimes all of a sudden, we find ourselves in the middle of a transition season. As we take advantage of opportunities to pray, reflect and process the change, God will use those times to deepen our spiritual roots and reinforce personal values which may have been neglected. We will begin to experience renewed vitality emotionally and spiritually, and it will feel good!
I'm curious, What setbacks of 2015 has God used to strengthen your resolve and keep you climbing in the year ahead? Has an unexpected twist or turn thrown you off balance and into a transition tailspin? What growth agenda might God have planned for you during your current transition?
“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” -Genesis 50:20 NIV
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” -Romans 8:28 NIV
Climb your transition with a coach HERE
Forever Friends and Random Places We've Lived
The ups and downs of transition are a good time to honor memories of people and places with a spirit of gratitude, to anchor ourselves in some part of our past when the future is uncertain.
Every day I ascend and descend that set of stairs in our home multiple times. Bedroom to bathroom to kitchen to family room, and all over again. Up and down. Down and up. But today it was different. I noticed something. I paused long enough to be reminded that sometimes, especially in transition, I lose sight of what's really important.
My wife thinks about everything. Looking back with gratitude is one of her strengths, and she finds creative ways to help even a nomadic family like ours to be grateful for the roots we do have. One example is the Places We Have Lived poster hung at the top of the staircase, a collection of random addresses which holds significance for us because we lived at that house number, on that street, in that town, for a season. Could have been 6 months or 6 years. Regardless, the address has a place on the poster, and in our hearts. That's what greets me at the top of the stairs.
I have some good friends back in the states who are really great about staying good friends. If you've ever lived far away from your homeland you know what I'm talking about. These are friends who make the effort to stay connected even though they live busy lives thousands of miles away.
Last year, following a trip to visit us in Turkey, they sent us a poster-sized collection of photos from our time together. It is titled "Forever Friends." The framed collage is hung at the other end of the staircase, opposite the Places We Have Lived poster. That's what greets me at the bottom of the stairs - a reminder that special people in our lives give meaning and significance to those addresses at the top of the stairs.
Two views from the stairs. One as I go up. One as I come down.
Both my wife and my friends have something in common. They know the importance of memories. They love to savor them and seal them up for a rainy day when the soul needs some encouragement. The ups and downs of transition are a good time to honor memories of people and places with a spirit of gratitude, to anchor ourselves in some part of our past when the future is uncertain.
“Memory is identity. Memory grounds us in who we are, where we’ve come from. Memory shapes us and guides us...Future identity and destiny, in other words, flower from a remembrance of things past.”
Think of the places you have lived. What kinds of feelings emerge? How could you honor those memories and the relationships connected with them? How might that help you move forward in your transition time?
“Remember those earlier days...So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.” -Hebrews 10:32, 35 NIV
Get help with your transition HERE