As one stage in your life ends—whether it is a job, marriage, death of a loved one—you may be inclined to feel that God should have your next step ready and waiting on which for you to walk. Often times, this is not the case. God uses these times in which you feel “in limbo”—transitions—as a time to test and strengthen your faith. We often grow in character more during a transition, the period of time that follows the catalyst—the cause of the change—than in the stage that ended, because of the “brokenness” we experience from being out of the “status quo” —the safety zone of sameness that we experience when things are going according to our plan.
God reminds us of His sovereignty when He says to us during these changes in life’s stages, these times of testing— “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways.”1 We may plan with our heart,—lifting up to God our passions and desires—but we must allow Him to place our steps2 in order to reap the blessings of His perfect will, which will undoubtedly include character growth as He prepares us for the next step on His stairway to heaven. This is the climb of sanctification, reaching higher and higher toward His lofty expectations for our transformation and growth to become like Christ, the image in which we are created.3
Jesus agonized in the garden prior to His arrest because He knew the transition that He would face and need to pass through in order to become the Savior of the world.4 He knew that His experience from the garden to the tomb had to be one that actualized the greatest sacrifice one could make for mankind. Jesus knew that His Father would not transition Him to heaven in a manner similar to Enoch or Elijah;5 the transition itself was the epitome—the ideal example—of why He came to this world—to be the atonement for our sins so that we could live with Him eternally in heaven.6
Jesus also knew that the transition for His disciples had to be a great test of faith and loyalty, which they all would actually fail, before they could become the powerful Christian leaders that would plant His Church, bring multitudes to the faith in Christ Jesus as the only means of salvation from hell, and experience gruesome and brutal deaths as martyrs for the “source of eternal salvation.”7 The transition for the disciples could not have been simply Jesus promoting his workers, saying, “Here Peter, these are the keys to the kingdom of heaven, your new job is to build My Church.” No, the disciples, including their leader, Peter, had to experience the brokenness of spirit, the humility of failure, and the agony of defeat before they could experience the next step Christ had placed before them— Jesus’ appearance on the shore of Galilee while they were fishing and Jesus’ private talk with Peter.8
During the disciples’ transition from earthly followers of Jesus to the leaders of the First Church, the disciples, particularly Peter, James, and John, had to experience incompetence (falling asleep),9 lack of understanding the divine purpose of Christ’s arrest (leading to His death, resurrection, and ascension),10 and failure of loyalty to their King (fleeing the garden and deserting Jesus).11 Their growth in character to become like their mentor, Christ the Son of God, was a result of times of testing. Expect no less from your Father in heaven, who loves you—a child of God12—just as He loved His Son13 and the disciples during their earthly sojourn.14
“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!”12
—John, the Apostle of Love
“This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”13
—Our Father
“May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved
them even as you have loved me.”14
—The Son
- Isaiah 55:8
- Proverbs 16:9
- Romans 8:29, 12:2, 2 Corinthians 3:18
- Matthew 26:36-46, John 13:1,3, 17:1-5, 18:4
- Genesis 5:24, 2 Kings 2:11
- John 6:47, 17:1-5, Romans 3:25, Hebrews 2:17
- Hebrews 5:9
- John 21
- Matthew 26:36-46
- John 16:16-20
- Matthew 26:35,56
- 1 John 2:28-3:3
- Matthew 3:17
- John 17:23
Excerpt from A Spiritual Diary, “Transitions,” part 3 of a 6 part series. Copyright © August 7, 2004 by Jeff Cambridge
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