As I read the story on Fox News the details were chilling. One man-a husband, a father, a son-caught in a transition that he didn’t know how to navigate. In California a medical technician and his wife recently lost their jobs. Overcome by the financial pressures and seeing no where to turn this man did the unthinkable…he killed his five children, his wife and turned the gun on himself. At the bottom of his suicide note he wrote, “oh lord, my God, is there no hope for a widow’s son?” Hope…this man had no hope. He had no perspective. And evidently he had no one to walk with him through this season of transition. This story highlights some of the most crucial issues surrounding a transition season:
•Something to hold onto
•Something to look forward to
•Someone to tell you that “it’s OK, you are going to make it.”
•Someone to walk with you through the “valley of the shadow of death.”
Yes, at some point in our lives each of us will face the demons in the valley. Each of us will be challenged to endure the dark night. And in the midst of the darkness much of what we believe, most of our assumptions about life and many of our expectations and dreams will be cast upon the alter as we sacrifice them (or at least be willing to leave them on the alter) in order to move through the season and on to the next mountain top. Transitions are critical intersections in life. They present opportunities and choices. Like a busy intersection in Atlanta, New York, Chicago or Los Angeles, a transition season can be a dangerous place. You can turn right or left, stop or proceed through the intersection. BUT if you fail to read the signs, pay attention to the traffic flow or ignore traffic signals these intersections can be lethal. What can we learn from this chilling story and commentary on the pressures of life and the state of our society? First, always have a dream and never give up your hope. There will be dark days. There will be times when our dreams are shattered on the rocks of reality. But the shattering process serves as a sifter, helping us refine our dreams and maybe focus on new ones. Second, we need friends…the kind of friends who will walk with us in the good times and the bad times. And finally, we need to be able to see beyond our immediate reality, grit our teeth and keep walking into our future.
1 comment:
Yes, there is hope. The "Center for Hope" lies within you. God gave it to you before the foundations of the world; before you were created in your Mother's womb.
"Hope and transition are partners." They need each other to sustain life. God gives us hope before transition. However,
sometimes we may miss it, as He speaks in such a still small voice.
Spiritual transition is a passage from a state of death to new state of life. If we allow God to free us from ourselves, He will provide us safe passage through the "valley of the shadow of death," into green pastures, with still waters, and life everlasting.
Charli
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