And just like that . . . he’s transitioning.
Our ALMOST 2 year-old, Myles, is in a season of transition.
Lately I’ve felt like we have been taking things from him. Working on new normals and changing how we’ve operated so that he will understand the concept of transitioning from a ‘baby’ to a ‘big boy’. And with this being our last baby, I’m just not sure how I feel about it.
I mean yes, potty training is important . . . especially since diapers and pull-ups are not cheap! Like, at all! But I have to be honest, I just feel like it’s all happening so fast. And it’s happening all in one season of his life.
Our lives.
Recently, Myles’s biggest transition was going from his crib to a big boy bed. Not a toddler bed . . . a big boy twin bed! We even redecorated his room with a “big boy” theme, which meant removing all the nursery-aged decor.
He walked around the room, checking things out with this grin of satisfaction plastered on his little sweet face as if he was taking it all in. My husband and I made sure that we made a big deal about what a big boy he was becoming, and just how cool it was to have this new big boy room. This was our tactic in making it known to him that we acknowledged this was a big change. It was a change that we, as his parents, felt that he was ready for.
I still remember the conversations my husband and I had in prepping for this transition. We prepped ourselves with the thought that this transition would not be an easy one. At all.
We were wrong. Dead wrong.
Here we were preparing for sleepless nights and a tantrum or two . . . or three. As we were preparing for these transitions to be hard, our 2-year-old was embracing his transitions with eagerness, obedience, and excitement!
As I walked him up to bed that night, he ran to his room too eager to climb in to his “big boy” bed. He smiled, pulled his blankets close, and sweetly said through his toothy grin,”nite, nite Mommy!” I kissed him, hugged him, and tucked him in tighter. As I walked out of his room, I was in disbelief at just how easy that had been.
Well, leave it to the Holy Spirit to teach me a lesson in that very moment.
He said, “Childlike faith, Abisha.”
“Your baby trusts and believes that you know what’s best for him. If things are changing, he doesn’t necessarily have to understand why. But because he knows just how much his mother and father love him, because he has grown to trust your consistency, and because you are faithful in your role as his parents . . . he has no reason to worry or fear change.”
I couldn’t help but to think about how that corresponds in my life. Our lives.
We loathe change. It’s the fear of the unknown. We want to be “big boys” and “big girls” yet we tread lightly when Jesus calls us to transition into a new season of life. A season that would call for us to stretch, bend, or even give up a few things that would otherwise classify us as “baby believers,” so that in return, He can provide bigger and better things for His glory.
How different our transitions would be if we were to get excited every time the Lord led us into a new season of transition. Into the unknown. How much richer would our relationship with Him be if we willingly gave up the things we hang on to in our transitions from milk to meat?
I’m guilty of desiring what He has planned for me, but keeping one foot inside the crib just in case the transition is just too scary for me. I’m guilty of knowing that God is faithful, but reasoning with Him and throwing tantrums when he decides to place me in seasons and scenarios that force me to operate outside of my comfort zones.
I realize there is a consistency in my “yes’s” that translates into, “Yes Lord, but only if you can make this a smooth transition with no bumps, or detours . . . thanks!”
But I’m also realizing that I will never experience a life of abundance in Him, if I continue to drown myself in the wave of uncertainty each time He calls me into waters that are more than ankle deep.
I want the same peace, contentment, and joy that our sweet Myles has had during his transitions. I want to be able to say, no matter the season, “Lord I trust you completely.”
Simply because He is good. Simply because He is faithful.
Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.
Philippians 4:6-7 (MSG)
Until next time friend,
Abisha
