The fundraising to meet the National Diaper Bank Network (NDBN) matching donation of $62,500 ended on September 22. And we did it! We more than matched the NDBN’s generous donation. That means this ride has brought in more than 500,000 diapers to help families in the TriCities and across the country. I am more than gratified with the results of this ride. It has been a journey I will never forget. But now comes the time to transition back into my calling to serve in the Richland Adventist Church.
Transitions are always challenging. I’ve had plenty of them over the years as we all have. There are the transitions students make from the daily grind of school work to summer vacation and then back to school again for another year. There are the transitions workers make from the daily grind of work to vacation and then back again. There is the transition of a new job or a new career. There is the transition of having a newborn and then the transition of sending that son or daughter to college. On and on goes the transitions we all make throughout life.
The transition from this ride to the routine of pastoral ministry finally set in yesterday for me. It made me think of the meaning and purpose of transitions. There are two major transitions Jesus experienced on this earth recorded in Scripture that I find helpful to understand in my own life’s transitions. The first was the transition from everyday life on earth to ministry on earth. We see Jesus preparing Himself for this transition by going to the wilderness to fast and pray. He was tempted by satan as He made the transition into His ministry, which served to solidify His commitment to His calling. The second transition was from ministry on this earth to His ministry in heaven. This transition included the cross and resurrection. Jesus prepared Himself for this transition through prayer and submission to His Father’s will. I can only imagine the pain and the power of this transition.
From the transitions of Jesus I see that what we do today prepares us for tomorrow. My work today prepares me to transition into God’s calling and will for my life tomorrow. Seen in this light, transitions are always an exciting adventure with God. There is something even bigger and better that God wants you to experience. But in order to experience it, there has to be a transition.
What is your mission today? What transition is God calling you to make tomorrow? I am ready to transition from my ride across America to a new phase in my pastoral ministry that will never be the same because of the ride. What an adventure life has become because of the transitions He has called me to make over the years.