Transition has a way of bringing out both the absolute best and worst of me, sometimes almost simultaneously. On one hand, there is the thrill of adventure and the hopeful promise of new life. On the other, there is that nagging fear of the unknown and obnoxious desire to have everything perfectly planned out. There are dreams and visions that seem so real you can almost taste them and mountains you know to be taken. And then there is the waiting, the knowing that you are not to move until God says go. Oh, the waiting. Jesus once said, “The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” I love that He compared the Spirit to wind. Wind is mysterious. Some days you don’t feel it at all, other times it’s a gentle breeze, and then some days it blows so hard it uproots everything around you. And as Jesus said, there are seasons that you don’t know where you are coming from or where you are going.

My fiancé took the above photo when we were driving on the Blue Ridge Parkway a few weeks ago. As I watch the road disappear into the mountains ahead, I think of transition. The Blue Ridge Mountains are one of my favorite places on earth. Around every curve and through all the ups and downs, there is beauty, there is life, there is adventure. I know this because I know these mountains. What’s even better is that I know, personally and intimately, the Creator of these mountains, the One who also happens to be the Author of my life, my destiny. I know His beauty and His goodness. In fact, He has promised that goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life. There is rest in that truth. And as I look at the small stretch of road that is visible in this picture, I am reminded to treat each day with care and attention, to be present in each moment, and to love God and others well today. As every curve on a mountain road needs its own care and attention, so does every moment of our lives whether we’re in transition or not.

"So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."
-Matthew 6:34