The Transfer of Power

The headline read “Obama takes power.” As I watched the swearing in of the new President I was struck by the speed of this transition. At the beginning of the ceremony Barak Obama was the Senator from Illinois. He had influence but really no "power." Two minutes later, he was the leader of these great United States and arguably the most powerful man in the free world. WOW! Can you imagine? To go from JUST influence to power and authority in about two minutes seems to be an incredibly fast transition. In our lives, seasons of transition may take more time than two minutes. But our lives can change for the good…or the bad in less than two minutes. A car accident, an earthquake, an unexpected job promotion, divorce papers, a special phone call and a myriad of other events can shake our world and drive us to the edge of elation or oblivion. What makes the difference and how do we deal with our transition seasons? Certainly dreams and years of hard work, training, diligence and building relationships help prepare us for the promotion. Some transitions are wonderful. But it’s the unexpected transitions in life that throw us a curve ball. How do you prepare for a transfer of power? When you “get” the power that’s a little easier to accept. When you “lose” the power, in the case of a divorce, death or a layoff, these seasons are harder to prepare for and harder to deal with. Yet the process is similar. In each type of transition we have to “learn” how to live with this new set of circumstances. The players may have changed but the game of life continues and we have to be engaged. Sometimes the playing field changes, but again, the game of life goes on and we have to learn to play on the new field. As you consider your transition season remember that everyone goes through many different transitions during this journey we call life. It is up to each individual to determine HOW they will move through their transition. Our attitude will determine how we move on to the next season. Our mindset will dictate how we enter the next season after this transition. And preparation is an important ingredient for any transition season.