The Power of Transition

Dreams, Growth, Health, Inspiration, Marriage, Maturity, Motherhood, Relationships, Review, Self improvement, Self-worth, Soul, Spirit, Value, Wellness, Womanhood / Thursday, January 10th, 2019

Never underestimate the power of a transition. 

Six and a half years ago, my husband and I found ourselves anxiously awaiting news we’d been waiting on for what felt like the longest five minutes of our lives. We were expecting our first baby. For those of you who have been there before, you know how beautiful a memory it is finding out you are pregnant with your first child. Not to mention the empowerment you feel as a woman. Knowing that you are a vessel that is used to create life… I felt like a superhero with superpowers; I still do. 

The news creates a whirlwind of emotions: anxiety, anticipation, excitement and nerves all wrapped in one. There were so many wonderful firsts we got to experience. Sharing the news with our families will forever be etched in the forefront of my mind.  My dad, did the most and channeled his inner Fred Sanford and had a “pretend” heart attack in the living room. My mom and siblings jumped around as if we had won the lottery. It was easily, one of the best moments in our marriage. 

What I did not know was what major life transition was around the corner just seven and a half weeks later. 

Big transitions are what I have found to be some of the hardest, most challenging moments that I have faced as a woman. I’m talking about the big changes that require you to step out of the boat in the middle of the ocean with no life preserver. Relocating a family to a new city where you know absolutely no one. Having a child and trying to figure out how in the world you are supposed to parent a tiny human. Divorce, dealing with infidelity in your marriage, losing a loved one, career changes, moving churches, getting married….the list. goes. on. I am referring to those big life changes that require you to be moved into a place of complete vulnerability—where you are stripped totally bare. It can be a battlefield and impact every piece of you physically, emotionally and spiritually. 

And as a woman, this can be one of the scariest places to be in. These moments of transition can be so difficult to face. They can shake your faith, send you on a roller coaster of emotions and trick you into doubting yourself and your abilities. I can recall starting college, and failing, not knowing what direction to go in. Becoming a stay-at-home-mom, and questioning my very existence, feeling like I wasn’t doing enough for myself or my family. For the longest time, the big changes in life would send me into a fury of anxiety. The unknowns would drive me crazy and completely take over my thoughts and feelings. 

However, what I have learned and am still learning is that these transitions are not times for me to cower back in fear or worry, but they are moments to embrace. That’s right, embrace. Those very same changes are positioning me for the purpose that God has laid out for my life. 

We can be so quick to be afraid of the changes that bring the unknowns, the hurts, and even the brokenness. But on the flip-side of that is growth, stretching, and what I love the most…greatness. HIS greatness. When we take the time to embrace the vulnerability that we so often find ourselves in, we become stronger in ALL areas of our lives. We begin to look at transitions through a different lens. Instead of avoiding or fighting the changes, we shift our perspective and begin to recognize that God is calling us higher, deeper, and closer to Himself. Not only is He doing that, but through those transitions, big or small, there is a blessing being released that we can’t yet see. For me, that blessing has been so many different things. When I look back on all of the major transitions that left me in a place of uncertainty, I see how God was not just putting me on the path of my purpose, but fulfilling my purpose along the way. He was strengthening me emotionally and spiritually to prepare me for the purpose he had laid out for me. 

You see that first pregnancy never came to full term. Eight weeks after finding out we were expecting, we had another ultrasound and I found myself staring at the most precious gift I had been given as a woman—only now— without a heartbeat. I had miscarried. That wonderful, exhilarating, life change that I had prepared for came crashing down in a matter of seconds. If I’d allowed it to, the loss of that baby could have taken me to a place that would’ve taken me out altogether. 

I had to make a choice. The choice to pursue Him with everything that I am. Fall into him in the most difficult, and joyous changes in life. We have to lean in to the very thing that we don’t want to face, and face it head on with confidence, knowing that we have a Creator holding our every situation in the palm of His hands. Never underestimate what God is calling you to through transitions. As long as we are surrendered to Him, we are walking in the purpose He has laid out for us, and He is using these changes to position you for living out the greatness He has already placed on the inside of you. 

With love as you embrace transition, 

Chelsy

Within her community, Chelsy Alexander serves the charitable field of social work as coordinator for an organization that bridges the gap between prospective foster care and adoptive families. Not only has she found her vocation in this field,  she’s found even more purpose through mothering two adopted children of her own. She shares her story and that of her family of four on her Adoptive Mom Blog where she also runs a t-shirt business devoted to celebrating adoption through unique apparel. Chelsy is devoted to building her family, leading selflessly at her local church, and pouring into her community here in Austin. And while she consistently speaks life into those around her on a daily basis, you can also check her out  encouraging others every Sunday night on 106.7 FM as radio co-host for the Christian-based radio show, The Light where she talks all things culture, music, and faith.