Pursuing Purpose, Prioritizing Relationship
“When can I meet with God?” was a cry of the sons of Korah in Psalm 42. I can guarantee the songwriter wasn’t looking at his watch when he penned those words. He was reflecting on the condition of his soul. How do you sustain the practice of meeting with God while trying to reach both personal and professional goals? The balance between your hopes and dreams and meeting with God is a delicate one. But one thing we know for sure: meeting with God is the source fruitful undertaking. Our life purpose is grounded in relationship. A healthy identity is rooted in it. Yet the struggle is very real.
My personal experience living and working cross-culturally has highlighted this…
My early years in Central Asia were heavy on the objective side. I thought I was fulfilling my purpose by doing things for God. My sense of identity was connected mostly to the work I was doing. My identity somewhat unraveled when I transitioned because the “assignment” was terminated. Or so I thought. Shortly after the transition, I searched for ways to replace the pursuit of purpose through other areas of focus, such as coaching, pastoring, podcasting, and writing. A perceived loss of identity motivated me to pursue and regain a “for God” posture instead of a “with God” posture, something author Skye Jethani talks about in his book With (a good read by the way). I slowly realized this approach is not sustainable.
It doesn’t lead to the abundant life God has saved me for.
Purposeful work is part of our callings, but certainly not the foundation. The bedrock is relationship, embodied in this cry:
“My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?” - Psalms
And so my prayer has become, “Lord may I prioritize meeting with You over and above my assignment for You.”
Skye continues to make his point…
“He (the Apostle Paul) understood that his calling (to be a messenger to the Gentiles) was not the same as his treasure (to be united with Christ). His communion with Christ rooted and preceded his work for him.”
– With, Reimagining the Way you Relate to God, Skye Jethani
Transitions have a way of messing with our sense of identity, purpose and calling. At the same time transition can be a wonderful opportunity to re-orient ourselves to what really matters. Working with a transitions coach can help you process and prioritize toward a successful transition.
Let’s have a conversation!
I leave you with The Message version of Psalm 42:1-3 and some reflection questions…
“A white-tailed deer drinks from the creek; I want to drink God, deep draughts of God. I’m thirsty for God-alive. I wonder, “Will I ever make it— arrive and drink in God’s presence?” I’m on a diet of tears— tears for breakfast, tears for supper. All day long people knock at my door, Pestering, “Where is this God of yours?””
- Psalms 42:1-3
For reflection:
Think of a time when you were extremely parched. How desperate did you feel for a drink? Have you ever felt that desperate for God? Describe the intense longing. Isaac was a well digger (Genesis 26). His survival depended on it wherever he went. If one dried up he dug another.
What are some wells which have dried up for you, and why?
How and where could you dig some new wells in this season of transition…wells that lend themselves to meeting with God?
Winging It to a Winning Transition
A good practice in volatile and potentially dangerous situations, such as wilderness survival, is to maintain a posture of alertness by consistently doing these three things…
Look up. What’s above you that could be threatening your safety?
Look down. Where are your feet stepping? Is it safe?
Look around. Keep your head on a swivel. Take notice of things around, behind and in front of you.
Hey friend,
Change brings a deluge of concerns and considerations. When we are caught up in transition, it can be extremely hard to keep the big picture in front of us and maintain perspective.
A good practice in volatile and potentially dangerous situations, such as wilderness survival, is to maintain a posture of alertness by consistently doing these three things…
Look up. What’s above you that could be threatening your safety?
Look down. Where are your feet stepping? Is it safe?
Look around. Keep your head on a swivel. Take notice of things around, behind and in front of you.
Let’s apply this to seasons of transition.
To encourage us to keep looking up we have this word from Scripture…
“I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.” - Psalms 121:1-2 NIV
Above all else remember…God your Creator and Redeemer is on your side. Keep looking up!
For looking down and around we have wings!
But those who wait upon GOD get fresh strength. They spread their wings and soar like eagles, They run and don’t get tired, they walk and don’t lag behind.” -Isaiah 40:31 MSG
Wings are essential to a successful transition.
A small or narrow view is required for focus, to get things done. And we all know there’s a ton of things to focus on, obvious by that ever-growing transition to-do list. However, when all our time and energy goes from one thing to the next, leaving no margin and space to cultivate a winged posture, we lose sight of the bigger picture and begin to grow weary and lose hope. Courage dwindles.
This can happen when the thing in front of us takes up all our space and causes us to lose all sense of proportion. A relational conflict, isolation, overwhelm, lack of clarity, unmet expectations... To see things right we must step back and away from them from time to time. And that’s exactly what wings are for.
We need wings to rise above the things! Wings are obtained and maintained through rhythms of rest and waiting. Hope is a by-product of waiting. And hope sustains us. Pretty great formula for sustaining life in transition I’d say!
How are you practicing rhythms of rest these days? As a result, what is your perspective? Let me challenge you to exercise those wings. Do you need some additional encouragement and resources around the theme of Sabbath and rest? Tune into my latest episode of Navigate Podcast here.
Ready to process and work through your transition with a coach? Book a discovery call with me here.
- Tim
Seamless Provision
Transition seasons challenge our ability to hope for daily provision and future prosperity. Prolonged transitions can be especially difficult when faced with loss of income and other sources of stability. Here’s three things to know when it comes to experiencing seamless provision in times of transition.
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 the produce of Canaan. - Joshua 5:11-12
I notice something from this passage which seems to be true about most transition seasons. They are opportunities to trust God when resources we’ve come to depend on are no longer part of our lives. But trusting can be difficult to do when we can’t see the path forward or envision the ideal future we long for. Wilderness transitions are like that. We struggle to believe. We imagine worst case scenarios…
What if my support dries up? What if I let go of this dependable paycheck so I can launch this dream, and God doesn’t come through? What if someone in my family experiences a health crisis while in the middle of this transition?
Transition seasons challenge our ability to trust for daily provision, especially when the transition involves prolonged time in-between jobs and subsequent loss of income. I’ve worked with multiple clients who have struggled with trusting as they navigate this messy middle, having lost one dependable source of income while waiting for something else to replace it.
Manna represents God’s desire and ability to care for and sustain his children in wilderness seasons…miraculously. The Israelites experienced 40 years in the desert…a long season defined by the miraculous. Talk about prolonged transition! During this time, God provided a fresh, daily supply of manna (sort of like bread) from heaven to sustain them. There were other ways He provided as well. He caused the sandals on their feet to not wear out. He gave them water from a rock on more than one occasion. He led them through the desert by means of a pillar of cloud by day (shade and protection) and a pillar of fire by night to light their way (guidance).
Finally, after a generation had passed, they crossed the Jordan river and were standing on the other side (think successful transition, phase 1). Suddenly the flow of manna stopped and seamlessly a new source of provision came through. Did I say seamlessly? Yes, God’s provision can be seamless in transition seasons when we understand the depth and breadth of his care.
Here’s 3 things to know when it comes to experiencing seamless provision in times of transition…
Seamless provision is not measured merely in monitary terms. As I look back on those in-between seasons of my life when money was scarce, I can truly thank God for the many other ways he seamlessly provided. He blessed my family with good health during times when a large dentist or medical bill would have been devastating. Unexpected gifts came from unexpected sources, causing me to thank God not only for the provision itself, but for the people through whom it came. He’s given me peace and courage to press on when I’ve been tempted to take the easy way out instead of staying on a more rewarding, albeit a more difficult path.
Seamless provision doesn’t mean the absence of scarcity. Resources can become scarce when things are shifting. Previous wells dry up, requiring us to dig new ones. While traversing the desert, the Israelites did not feast on pots of meat every day like they did in Egypt. It was a lean and prolonged season. Lean because of the environment; prolonged, at least in part, due to their disobedience. Nonetheless, God met their needs through hostile places and uncertain times. He can do the same for us.
I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them. - Isaiah 42:16
Seamless provision is actualized one step at a time. When the Israelites crossed the Jordan and ate their first meal from the produce of the promised land, they had no idea that the manna would not be waiting for them to gather outside their tents the next morning. It was a sudden shift in provision following a long journey, made possible by a step of faith in harmony with God’s mysterious and perfect plan. It was seamless as long as they kept moving forward, in step with God’s plan. They would soon face the next step of faith as they approached the walls of Jericho (Joshua 6).
Transition is less about big leaps and more about a sequence of steps. It’s less about being a one-time event and more about process. - Tim Austin
What do you need today to embrace and engage this transition season you’re in? What shift in perspective do you need in order to move through a transition of seamless provision?
How can I help? Book a discovery call with me HERE.
P.S. Provision is waiting on the other side. Clarity is just around the corner.
*Photo by Gabriela Palai from Pexels