5 Truths In A Major Life Transition: The Big Move

He goes before you. He is already there. In Deuteronomy 31:8, it reads, “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

In the midst of mind battling fear and doubt, this was the most comforting truth to me when we were considering making a major life transition which for us, meant a huge move across the country from MN to WA. We came out to visit what would be our new location and church. I remember looking out at a very beautiful scenic view and feeling His peaceful presence with us. Being surrounded by His beautiful creation and meeting His people, we felt a sense of assurance. As a Chirst follower, it doesn’t matter what plane you hop on and what destination you are pursuing. When you step out into unknown territory, He is still walking with you, He is still at work around you and most importantly He is still living within you, providing comfort. So you can walk in confidence, not fear and know your God who is for you, is truly everywhere.

He is guiding you. Romans 12:1-2 “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

Before Jesus left the earth, he spoke of the promise of the Holy Spirit. He said that the Spirit would guide and teach all those who believed in Him. As followers, the Holy Spirit becomes such a part of your life and plays a part in your thoughts and actions through His leading. If you feel called out of something into something new and you are in prayer and in His word, you can be assured that it is He who is guiding you. All feelings of doubt and fear can be silenced at this truth.

John 10:27 “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”

He is all knowing.

Jeremiah 29:11 “‘For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

If I had known all of the details that would unfold over the course of the year before we made our decision, I already know that my flesh would have stepped in. I would have wanted to quench the Spirit’s leading and most likely have followed my own misleading heart and possibly not even made the move! How sad! I had my list of what I wanted and hoped for here, those things I felt were best for our family that did not come to pass. Thank God, His ways are not our ways and His thoughts not our thoughts. We know what we want but he sure knows what we need. If I would have known all of the logistics of what laid ahead for us, I wouldn’t have had an open heart and mind to this new faith journey. Now as I sit at a different vantage point, I can see that the blessings are abundant and his favor surrounds us, but even if they weren’t noticeable, being in His will and following His plan are way too good to miss out on.

Proverbs 19:20-21 “Listen to advice and accept discipline, and at the end you will be counted among the wise. Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”

Romans 8:28 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

He loves you.

Ephesians 3:17 “I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and deep is the love of Christ.”

My eyes tear up at those three words because I know the truth behind them. Oh how sweet is His love for us! He has been with me throughout all of the transitions of my life. I didn’t realize how hard a transition of moving would be. I’ve lost loved ones and have experienced real, life altering deep pain. I’ve moved over twenty times in my life so I wasn’t expecting that I would deeply mourn the loss of what we left behind in Minnesota and the life we had created there for our children. It caught me totally off guard. Sobs in the night and overpowering episodes of doubt consumed me for awhile. God brought me to a place to call out for Him again. He comforts us. He challenges us. He changes us. He tells us to trust Him. He shows us that He is enough. And oh how He loves us! He loves us each so personally, so individually, as if we were his only child. He never stops perusing us. I have found that home is no longer a place but a state of being with Him and being known by Him.

Psalm 23:6 “Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

Mathew 10:29-31 “Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.”

1 Peter 5:7 “Cast all your anxieties on Him, because he cares for you.”

Isaiah 41:10 “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

Psalm 139:16-17 “Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast the sum of them!”

He is at work.

Phillippians 2:13 “For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”

He is at work in you and in the world. I have said many times that throughout this journey I have learned many lessons about myself, about my faith and about life. Some lessons are ones that I could only have learned through this season of transition. I would say that in itself, is worth a move across the country. We are in the potters hands being shaped and transformed as we walk through seasons of mountains and valleys learning to trust and obey Him. We become stronger in our faith and closer to Him. He is at work not only in us but all around us. We cannot begin to imagine all that He is doing at one moment all across the world in individual countries, states, cities, neighborhoods, families and individual hearts. He is truly incredible and His power is unfathomable. He works through us to change lives, help one another, encourage each other and to bring His people to a saving grace and knowledge of Himself. We essentially live to bring Him glory. It’s a good reminder that sometimes big life changes may have nothing to do with us but rather are a stepping stone for what comes next.

Romans 8:28-29 “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.”

I pray that you find encouragement through this post, knowing that you are part of a much bigger plan and your life has such sweet purpose in the kingdom of God. Blessings! -Mary