transition
More intention, less obligation
A new year, a new decade, a new beginning. A clean canvas to fill. 358 days to paint within. What colours and word are you going to choose for the painting of this next chapter? What will you make space for within the framework of this year?
Beginnings hold potential; potential to transition you into a new trajectory in life; potential for blooming. It often takes boldness to begin, for beginnings can feel both bare and brutal, big and beautiful, blurry and bright all at the same time.
Whether your beginning to this new year feel beautiful, blurry, or brutal (or something completely else), I pray you're awake to your heart's desire.
One of my desires for the new year, and even decade, is to live more out of intention than obligation.
An obligation is defined as a duty, a debt (of gratitude for a service or favour) and being bound morally and legally to someone or something. Obligation is not all bad. The bible speaks about how we are obligated to:
- Take care of our families (1 Tim 5:4 AMP talks about it both being a religious duty and a natural obligation).
- Speak in a manner that reflects our fear of God and profound respect for His precepts (James 3:10 AMP).
- Walk and conduct ourselves just as Jesus walked and conducted Himself if we claim Him as God and Saviour (1 John 2:6 AMP - moral obligation).
- Follow the Spirit's promptings instead of the flesh's demands (Romans 8:12 AMP).
- Walk in His ways, His statutes, His commandments, His precepts, and His testimonies (1 Kings 2:3 AMP).
- Righteousness (Romans 6:20 TPT).
Obligations keep us accountable to the ones we love; to our God and our families.
Where obligation gets unhealthy is when the vision for our own life is altered and others' agenda instead get to dictate our days. It affects our fruit and our freedom. Focus and effectiveness is rarely evident in our lives when we are dragged in different directions due to the pursuit of pleasing others:
"But make sure that you don’t get so absorbed and exhausted in taking care of all your day-by-day obligations that you lose track of the time and doze off, oblivious to God. The night is about over, dawn is about to break. Be up and awake to what God is doing!" Romans 13:11 MSG (my emphasis).
It's so easy to live unintentionally with no aim and just do what's demanded of us each day - to go about our errands, stay long for that birthday party because you feel obligated to, keep meeting up with a friend because you always have done it and so on. It's beautiful wanting to delight others. But when these above examples are done to earn approval or acceptance, you wear yourself out. God cares about the motive for our actions, though they look good on the outside:
"Though they fast, I will not hear their cry; and though they offer burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them [because they are done as obligations, and not as acts of loving obedience]" (my emphasis).
God doesn't wants dreadful, dutiful, dulled actions with no heart in it. He wants our loving obedience to the assignment He is waiting for us to steward. He wants our hearts, our all, surrendered before Him. He wants us focused and awake, not sidetracked by others' agendas, demands and expectations of you:
"Since we are approaching the end of all things, be intentional, purposeful, and self-controlled so that you can be given to prayer" 1 Peter 4:7 TPT (my emphasis).
He has an assignment for you this season which takes prioritisation. He wants to partner with you to give your dreams legs.
If you're up for that shift in life, I believe 2020 can be the year where you’ll live more out of intention and less out of obligation. Jesus' death marked the transition from the old plan to the new one, canceling your old obligations once and for all (Heb 9,16 MSG). Therefore you can resist and refuse those who try to tie oppressive burdens of religious obligations on your back (Matthew 23:4 TPT).
Instead, by your beautiful intentions you can continue to do what brings pleasure to him (1 John 3,22 TPT). You can finish what you started last year without intentions growing stale. Once the commitment is clear, you do what you can, not what you can't (2 Corinthians 8:10 MSG).
As you're intentional with your time, treasure and talent this year, you'll make space for new births. It will move you out of being stuck in transition and into the trajectory for your life.
You've got what it takes to finish it up, so get to it. Your heart's been in the right place all along.
Whether you intentionally begun this new year or you have stumbled into it, the matter of fact is that it has begun! And though what you have intended to build into this year seem insignificant, know that the Lord delights in small beginnings and asks us not to despise them.
Remember the promise that “[...]Though your beginning was insignificant, yet your end will greatly increase” Job 8:7 AMP (my emphasis).
More intention, less obligation in Jesus' name.
Walk in His liberty.
All the best,
Sandra Hultén.
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Picture: Sophie Vestergård (instagram-handle: @sophvest).
I am crossing over
Recently, I was thinking about the crossovers of life as I literally was on a boat crossing over from Sjællands Odde to Aarhus. On this particular crossover, there were high waves and it made me nautious. The weather was foggy and it was hard to see the horizon.
In the same way, spiritual, mental and emotional crossovers can be surrounded by lack of clarity about what's waiting on the other side. As we navigate the transitions of endings, in-betweens and new beginnings, it can make us a bit nautious too.
A snapshot of my own recent transitions include ending a two-year-season at an apartment and ending my season of six years of studying. Currently I am transitioning out of a study-job I've had for the last two years, and I am in the process of handing over Citycare while I'm on maternity leave, which is the social justice ministry in our church which my husband and I have started and have served at the last three years since we got married. I'm also waiting for my baby girl to arrive and our family to expand while searching for my first full-time-job. We just finished the in-between time of living with my generous parents for one and a half month, and now we've entered a beginning with a new apartment in a new neighbourhood.
All of these crossovers I'm experiencing are a natural part of progression in life. Some of the endings (that naturally beckon a new beginning) happened due to perseverance and diligence in finishing up an education for instance, and other endings happened because of intentional faith-steps that's part of the Christian pilgrimage journey.
If you are also navigating transitions with all its bends and curves, I pray that the following insight into the Israelites' transition - from captivity in Egypt to crossing over the Red Sea into their promised land - will help you in your transition.
🔑 Keep your mouth shut
In the in-between when we've left something behind and is moving over to something new, our season can seem odd to others, and even to ourselves. We might not know where the steps we're taking are leading. For the Israelites, the in-between caused some doubt, insecurity and distrust in their leader:
"As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up and saw them—Egyptians! Coming at them!
They were totally afraid. They cried out in terror to God. They told Moses, “Weren’t the cemeteries large enough in Egypt so that you had to take us out here in the wilderness to die? What have you done to us, taking us out of Egypt? Back in Egypt didn’t we tell you this would happen? Didn’t we tell you, ‘Leave us alone here in Egypt—we’re better off as slaves in Egypt than as corpses in the wilderness’” Exodus 14:10 MSG.
In the in-between, the Israelites spoke from a limited perspective because they couldn't see the full picture yet. Their words were full of complaint, blame and wishing themselves back to the past. The great part of their complaint was that they directed it towards the source, God, who can work with where we're at.
God's answer of reassurance and calm to their panic came through the Israelites' leader, Moses, whom He had put over them. Moses exhorted them:
“Don’t be afraid. Stand firm and watch God do his work of salvation for you today. Take a good look at the Egyptians today for you’re never going to see them again.
God will fight the battle for you.
And you? You keep your mouths shut!” Exodus 14:13 MSG.
If you're doubting like the Israelites were, be comforted that this is normal in transition. But don't let that become an excuse for staying in a rut of negativity and distrust. If you don't know what to declare yet over your new beginning and how to explain it to others, simply don't.
*However, with new decisions, definitely talk them through with a counsellor in your life for perspective and accountability, and a couple of trusted friends.
Instead of focusing on how others perceive you and your life in the change, worship your way through the fog. As Moses counselled the Israelites, keep your mouth shut, lean back and see what God will do. Keep gathering the puzzle pieces of glimpses you do have into your future. The dizziness is normal as you cross over. It will all get clearer as you move towards the horizon.
God has got you. You are crossing over.
🔑Get moving
When we've gotten the revelation instilled in our hearts that ultimately God fights for us - that He'll make the way and prepare the land we're crossing over into - we don't have to justify, rationalise or explain what might not even be clear to ourselves yet - we'll have to then get courageous and start moving:
"God said to Moses: “Why cry out to me? Speak to the Israelites. Order them to get moving. Hold your staff high and stretch your hand out over the sea: Split the sea! The Israelites will walk through the sea on dry ground" Exodus 14:15 MSG.
Faith requires action. To cross over, we need to put one foot in front of the other. What can hinder us from stepping out and get moving is the awkwardness. The stretch and the unknown can look a little messy as we are walking where we haven't been before.
As you process how you'll get moving, what do you discern need to be crossed off your to-do-list and left at the foot of the cross instead? Not everything of the old can coexist with the new.
I've found that some giants in my life - some struggles that I've only gotten partial deliverance from - often resurfaces as I'm about to enter something new that requires faith. Even though the giant - in this case of old memories of rejection and pain - will try to make me shrink down from rising into the new, the resurface is actually a great opportunity to receive deeper healing so that the new God is birthing can be enjoyed in greater ways - with no yuck from the past trying to haunt me and ruin the new wine.
When the Israelites' went in to scout out Canaan - the new land God had for them - they noticed some giants in the new land too that made them shrink back and feel insecure, unworthy and incapable.
"There also we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak are part of the Nephilim); and we became like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight" Numbers 13:33 NIV.
No matter if the giant you're facing as you get moving towards the new is something old resurfacing or a new challenge trying to squeeze the courage out of you, continue moving! Know that this is only confirmation you're moving in the right direction, being courageous with your life. Other people's deliverance is tied to your obedience. Fight through with them in mind.
God has got you. You are crossing over.
🔑 Declare who God is
As you fight the urge to having to explain the change that's upon you - as you get moving with the directions you've got and conquer giants on the way - declare who you know God to be.
I love the context of the psalm below, by the Levite and musician Asaph. In the midst of the temple being destroyed in Jerusalem, Asaph is believed to have penned this Psalm to give praise and declare dependence on God in their hard situation. He is looking back at the Israelites' breakthrough in the past to be encouraged in what's in from of them now -the crisis of the temple being destroyed:
By Asaph's example, I'm encouraged to remember God's past gracious supplies and even search out others who have gotten a breakthrough in the area I'm believing to cross over into.
The cross has ensured that you can cross over - from death to life, from emptiness to a life beaming with purpose in your every step.
Remember, Moses led a whole people to cross over with only a staff in his hand. When God says 'go', go empowered in His strength and trust that what you have is enough!
God has got you. You are crossing over.
All my love,
Sandra.
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Dance to the tune of His revelation 💃🏼
Have you ever found your life going into autopilot? You wake up in the morning, eat the same breakfast as usual, go to the same workplace, meet up with the same friends? Rhythms and routines are great in life and necessary to put down roots and be established.
However, sometimes stuff we have done for a long time just don't serve our life anymore. It's like life begs more from us... This could be our soul yearning for a new level of devotion to keep us well fed in the Word of God even though our current devotion has been working fine for us until now. It could be a fine-tuning needed in areas of diet, exercise, friendships, family investment, job situations and on and on it goes. The scenarios are countless really.
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It's like when walking barefoot has served our lives perfectly in the Summer days but if we keep walking barefoot as the weather changes, our feet will turn blue and cold. A change in the season calls for a change in how we carry ourselves. To not hurt ourselves, get sick and slow ourselves down, we need to put on some shoes. The same applies to our spiritual and emotional prosperity. What worked in a previous season won’t necessarily work in a new one.
I find adjusting is key to staying flexible, fresh and fired up for what God has for our lives in the current season.
Why is this necessary?
Since God is the one who changes times and seasons, who He removes kings and establishes kings, (Daniel 2:21) we want to be people who are constantly tuned into the gospel message and who dance to the tune of His revelation, like King David did. (Psalm 119:70 MSG) When He changes the season, we want to change with Him. We are kept safe as we listen to Him, readily recognize what he wants from us, and quickly respond to it.
We are not the only one who pays attention to the seasons in order to stay aligned with our purpose. Certain birds do the same as they migrate to warmer, foreign skies during winter, and for them it is a matter of life and death. We may not apply the same life-and death urgency to our season shifts as birds but we can sure learn from then. Their example can definitely propel us forward in adjusting accordingly to successfully walk in our new season and assignment.
2 - We change wineskins
"And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the old skins would burst from the pressure, spilling the wine and ruining the skins. New wine is stored in new wineskins so that both are preserved" Matthew 9:17 MSG.
I was sent this verse by a friend right before major transitions in my life; stepping into marriage and a new ministry. The old ways of doing things wouldn't work in the new God had for me. I needed a new mindset, a new resilience, and a new level of devotion to Jesus to sustain the growth and blessing He was adding to my life.
The ability to adjust and adapt is something we can totally do! Why? Because we have a High Priest who is modeling this by being perfectly adapted to our needs (Hebrews 7:26 AMP). Let's in response align and go with Him into the adjustment that's required to receive the new He has for us. Let's test all things carefully so we can recognise what is good, and hold firmly to it.
How do we continue to dance to the tune of His revelation?
3 - We do what we can, not what we can’t.
In transition, not all things are in our own control. How people perceive our change, or the doors that open for us are examples of that. It's not up to us. But what we can do is regulate our heart, and as we regulate our heart, our hand will follow!
Even if your situation does not consist of a major transition, our hearts need regular heart-checks to stay diligent and not grow weary with what you have already been given to steward. This is necessary to keep dancing in tune to His revelation and will keep the assignment and commitment to it fresh.
To dance to the tune of His revelation, we need to know our season. Once the commitment is clear, we can do what we can, and leave what we can't up to God.
We can do what the musicians did when they were singing in the book of Nehemiah as the wall in Jerusalem was dedicated, and praise was sung to God. It says that "the musicians were under the king's orders, which regulated their daily activity." (Nehemiah 11:23 MSG)
Let's in the same way let our daily activity be regulated by our King's marching orders! Let our hearts be aligned with Him and are hands will automatically follow. We are most safe living in His will, in His way, for His glory.
Let's adjust by listening to the Holy Spirit, by changing wineskins and by doing what we can, not what we can't as we regulate our heart and hand to dance to the tune of His revelation.
Love,
Sandra.
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