Life
in Transit
By Brita Crouse
“You will seek me
and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”
Jeremiah 29:13 (NIV)
“We
have maintenance looking at the issue right now. Please remain seated.” Those
were the last words I ever wanted to hear. I was sitting on a broken down plane
in New York City, jet-lagged and wanting to be home in my bed. Having just
returned to the States after a month long mission trip to the Czech Republic, I
still had another connection to make in Detroit (that I ended up missing)
before landing in Milwaukee. I was by myself in a big, unfamiliar city, and I
hadn’t slept in nearly thirty hours. I was stuck...in transit.
Obviously,
I eventually made it home, but it took much longer than I expected. Isn’t that
how it always works? When traveling from one place to the next, obstacles
present themselves, making our journey much longer than intended.
I’m
having another one of those “stuck-in-transit” times of life right now. I’ve
recently graduated from college, and I’m taking time off before going back to
graduate school in fall of 2014. That’s nineteen months of being between two
phases of life! I never expected my journey to come to a place like this. Going
into college, I didn’t expect to graduate early. Coming out of college, I didn’t
expect to have all of my plans fall through, leaving me unemployed and
searching for a job.
But,
it’s in these unexpected, transitional times of life where we find ourselves
depending on and seeking God the most. When I was stuck on that plane, I had no
other person to turn to. I had to completely rely on God for strength,
alertness and protection. In my life right now, many things are changing, but
God is the one thing that is constant.
I
have no idea what my life will be like a week, a month, a year from now, but
isn’t that kind of exciting? I know that by earnestly seeking God and listening
for His voice, a deeper trust and dependence is being formed within our
relationship.
Being
stuck in transit doesn’t necessarily have to be a bad thing. These times are a
wake-up call, reminding us that we need to be seeking God in times of change
and uncertainty.
Maybe
you are experiencing a transition phase right now, too. My advice? Be patient.
God will bring you safely to the next phase of life. He will bless you in
unimaginable ways.
Seek
Him. He won’t leave you “stuck in transit.”
GOING
DEEPER:
1.
What are some times of transition you have experienced? How has God seen you
through those times in the past?
2.
How can you demonstrate trust in your current situation?
FURTHER
READING:
Brita recently
graduated from Taylor University with a degree in Psychology, has been
attending Oakwood for sixteen
years, and is currently part of our Just Among Moms weekly childcare team.
