tran·si·tion
/tranˈziSH(ə)n/

noun: transition
1. the process or a period of changing from one state or condition to another.
verb: transition
1. undergo or cause to undergo a process or period of transition.

Origin
1. late Middle English (in the sense ‘grammatical transitivity’): from Latin transitio(n-), from transire ‘go across’.

The process of changing, going across one state to another. Metamorphosis, but for humans? Pretty much.

I recently underwent a massive transition: my family and I moved – not just from one street to another, one town, one state or even one country to another, but from one continent, one hemisphere to another, from Australia to Canada; approximately 13,573.08 kilometers or 8,433.92 miles, as the crow flies. That’s a BIG transition! That’s so big that our furniture took nearly three months to catch up with us.

Why did we do this? For something better. It wasn’t that we didn’t love our previous situation: we certainly did, and we miss it sorely, sometimes. For my husband, it was for a change, a new challenge; for me, it was for family. We’ve transitioned our lives from Hurstville to Toronto. We can’t turn back now, for better and for worse. 

As glad as we are to have the new opportunities offered to us by this change of life, it hasn’t all been sunshine and rainbows. With this transition has come a lot of pain: the pain of being the ‘new kid’, the awkwardness, the uncertainty, not to mention all the convoluted hoops we’ve had to jump through to settle ourselves here – for example, to get a local bank account we needed a local phone number, but to get a local phone number, we needed a local bank account; to get a decent local car, we needed to be able to finance it, but in order to get financing at a non-astronomical rate, we needed to have a local driving record of more than three weeks. Then there were the non-tangible logistical minefields, other aspects of setting up house from scratch, sampling new shops and restaurants and exercise classes to find our new favourites, getting to know our new church family…. not to mention assuring our relocated ten-year-old dog that we weren’t deserting him every time we left his sight, or acclimating his sub-tropical self to the local frigid January climate into which he had arrived!

Needless to say, all this has been REALLY TAXING.

Blessedly, our compassionate family members, friends and church organisation have supported us so very generously throughout this ordeal. We’ve been here six months now, and I continue to have to remember to give myself some grace. I am great at making to-do lists and half-decent at executing them, getting stuff done; I have done A LOT of adjusting, a lot of ‘stretching’; it’s ok if I’m not meeting every single one of my goals, even now. No-one expects me to be perfect – and, if they do, that’s their problem. Lest I forget, this needs to include me: I mustn’t be too hard on myself.

A lot has changed for me, for each of my immediate family members; we ourselves have even changed a bit, with all the emotions and mental challenges, and we aren’t always able to be the pillars that we’ve sometimes needed each other to be. We’ve come a long way, though, and are making forward progress all the time. If we trust that all will be well, as the Lord assures us it will be, we can see the light at the end of the tunnel and continue plodding forward, through the difficulties, to the blessed next phase of our lives.

They who trust in the Lord continually receive good from Him; for whatsoever happens to them, whether it appears to be prosperous or not prosperous, is still good, because it conduces as a means to their eternal happiness. (Arcana Coelestia 8480)

The transition of moving house has had its ups and downs, its challenges and its promises. Such is the inherent nature of transition: oftentimes we leave something that we were comfortable with, we face struggles which feel insurmountable, we doubt ourselves and the process and we feel like giving up – but when we stick with it, we overcome, and we reap the rewards of the new state.

As a birth doula, it would be remiss of me not to mention that transition is a hallmark period in a childbearing woman’s labour, too.

A mother-to-be with a wanted pregnancy has spent her life up to this point childless or with one fewer child. She was probably (hopefully!) pretty happy with life, generally, but found herself wanting more. She may or may not have gone to great lengths to get pregnant, and then spent nine or so months gestating this child in her womb, growing this baby, eating for two, weathering the ups and downs of pregnancy – the uncertainty, the ‘morning’ (possibly all-day, for many months) sickness, the questions and comments and unwanted belly touches from people, the pressure on her various organs, loosening of joints and other associated concerns. Now she labours for anywhere from a few to very many hours, possibly days. She’s reached the point when she feels utterly defeated, crying that she can’t do it anymore: she wants to throw in the towel, give up. Even the most knowledgeable, confident woman almost inevitably reaches this point of desperation in her labour. She’s worked so hard, often for such a long time; just in the last few hours alone she’s experienced huge amounts of physical discomfort and pain, and now she feels like it is never going to end. She can’t stand it anymore.

How long a labouring woman’s period of transition lasts and how deep she emotionally dives depends on her birth team and her level of faith in the process. As with moving internationally, her support system and trust that the Lord will see her through to the other side can carry her through. Birth workers know from experience that this despair is actually a great sign: her labour is almost over, birth is near, baby is almost here! We use words of compassion to rally mom’s spirits, to encourage her along, remind her of how far she’s come, how well she’s done and how close she is to her goal. We cheer her on, reminding her that her body and her baby are doing just what they’re meant to be doing, she will get through this (no-one in the history of womankind has ever stayed pregnant or labouring forever!): soon she will have her baby in her arms.

In the end, the prize – usually, and subject to divine providence – is a healthy infant and an elated mother. Bub has transitioned from living inside of his or her mom’s body to living apart from it, having to face the harsh elements of the world outside the womb and having needs met in ways that are not automatic or instantaneous as they used to be. Mom has made the heroic journey from woman to mother, or mother of fewer to mother of more. She had probably done a pretty effective job of figuring out how to manage life without this baby, and now she’s venturing into uncharted territory, needing to learn how to care for this child (possibly in addition to others) and how to care for herself, putting baby at the top of her priority list while hopefully not scuttling her own needs altogether. The process has undoubtedly been very taxing, in some ways, and she may sometimes sorely miss her old life – the quiet, the freedom, the sleep! – but there’s no turning back, for better and for worse. 

In an ideal scenario, mom has a village to support her along this entire journey, through pregnancy, birth and postpartum: they will help her travel the bumpy road, and help her to gradually get back on her feet. She needs to give herself grace – especially if she doesn’t have that support – as she grapples with every new thing, every piece of this new puzzle. No-one should expect perfection from her, least of all herself. It’s ok if she isn’t meeting every single one of her goals. (There are no prizes for being the quickest out of one’s birth bed!) If she can trust that all will be well, she will see the light at the end of the tunnel and continue plodding forward, through the difficulties, hopefully recognising her blessings and enjoying this new state of her life – or keep on plodding until it becomes enjoyable to her.

Life is full of transitions, big and small. Like it or not, no-one and no phase of life is completely immune from transition. It happens. Having a truly compassionate support network on which we can rely and fall back, and trusting in the Lord, the process and His providence are crucial elements to helping us navigate these treacherous waters which inevitably come along.

As time passed, it happened that Cain brought an offering to Yahweh from the fruit of the ground. (Genesis 4:3)

It happened at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ship which he had made, and he sent forth a raven. (Genesis 8:6-7) 

It happened the same day, that Yahweh brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their armies. (Exodus 12:51) 

It happened in the morning, that Balak took Balaam, and brought him up into the high places of Baal; and he saw from there the utmost part of the people [of Israel]. (Numbers 22:41)

It happened, when all the people had completely passed over [the Jordan river], that the ark of Yahweh passed over, with the priests, in the presence of the people. (Joshua 4:11) 

It happened at evening, that David arose from off his bed, and walked on the roof of the king’s house: and from the roof he saw a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful to look on. (2 Samuel 11:2)

It happened, which is said many times in the Word, has a meaning that involves transition and accordingly a second stage. (Secrets of Heaven 4979)