Transition Time

The Journey

Above the mountains the geese turn into the light again

Painting their black silhouettes on an open sky.

Sometimes everything has to be inscribed across the heavens

so you can find the one line already written inside you.

Sometimes it takes a great sky to find that

small, bright and indescribable wedge of freedom in your own heart.

Sometimes with the bones of the black sticks left when the fire has gone out

someone has written something new in the ashes of your life.

You are not leaving you are arriving. ~ David Whyte ~

My resignation last month marked the beginning of a transition time, for me personally, and for KUUF. Change is a part of life, and is external. Transition is the internal psychological process that takes place as we come to terms with change. Transition times are full of potential and power. We reap the benefits of transition when we honor them fully and mark them in ways that are meaningful.

William Bridge’s work on transitions breaks them into three stages, rather than just two. In addition to the ending and the new beginning, we move in and out of a chaotic and transformative space called the ‘neutral zone.’ When we are in the neutral zone, old patterns are no longer applicable, and new patterns haven’t yet coalesced. It can be disconcerting to be in flux this way. However, it can also be liberating and energizing.

In the chaos of the neutral zone, we have no choice but to zero in on our own ‘true north,’ to focus on the things which are most important to us. The neutral zone is spacious, offering us freedom. We can try new things on for size without having to commit. There are no limits to our imagination or ruts or routines to cage us. Anything is possible when nothing is settled.

After I leave in June, I will have to answer the question, “Who am I if I’m not the minister?” Who will I be in this new incarnation? I could focus on what I might do—schooling, chaplaincy, consulting, writing—but a more fruitful line of thought is to clarify for myself who I am. What are my greatest strengths? What are my greatest challenges? As I continue in ministry, how can I bless the world most fully?

For the congregation, there are also questions which can bear much fruit. What is the mission that carries and unites this congregation? What are the greatest needs going forward? How can the congregation support the interim minister in his or her work? How can the interim support best support the congregation?

Life throws change at us continually; wisdom requires that we learn to live in and love the neutral zone. The key is to relax and be flexible. Dance, play, laugh, and trust that things will work themselves out in time.