I’ve experienced many different kinds of transitions in my life. I’ve lived in Johnstown, PA; Pittsburgh, PA; Morgantown, WV; Miami Beach, FL; Tucson, AZ; St. Louis, MO; and Atlanta, GA. Movements from city to city represent one kind of transition I’ve experienced. I’ve held many different jobs: hospital chaplain, pastor, spiritual director, counselor/psychologist, administrator of an international mission program, and professor. Those jobs represent another kind of transition. I’ve lost many significant people in my life including both of my parents and special, intimate friends. Each loss has been a kind of transition. I’ve begun new relationships: friendships, romantic relationships, collegial relationships, and neighbors. The list of various transitions I’ve experienced goes on and on. Many of the transitions I’ve experienced are transitions you’ve also experienced. In these transitions, we let go of something that has shaped ourselves or our lives in order to move on to incorporate new aspects of self or contexts for our lives. There are things we bring with us to the new life experience and other things that we leave behind.
Transitions can be difficult. They are often filled with uncertainty. Sometimes we’re afraid of where life will take us. Other times, we’re unsure of ourselves and whether we’re up for the challenge. It’s not unusual for us to simply fear the unknown when we transition to something new.
Having experienced many different transitions, I know that it’s important for me to maintain a clear sense of grounding in the spiritual dimension of life when my life is in flux. At those times, I often return to one of my favorite Biblical stories: the transfiguration of Jesus.
Three of the New Testament gospels recount the event. Essentially, it’s found in the middle of each one. It’s a transition point in the gospel narratives. The basic story goes something like this: Jesus takes his three best buddies, Peter, James, and John, out for a hike up a mountain. When they get there, Jesus’ buddies take a nap. While Peter, James, and John doze off, Jesus experiences something extraordinary. The sun seems to shine around him and his clothes are brilliantly white. Moses and Elijah appear out of nowhere and chat with Jesus. Then a voice comes out of a cloud and commands: “This is my beloved. Listen to him!”.
What fascinates me about the story is what’s happening for Jesus. It’s quite obviously an experience of enlightenment. After all, he’s bright with the sun. But something changes for Jesus that’s more than just light.
The first half of the gospels of Mark, Matthew, and Luke portray Jesus as a wonder-worker, a healing magician. The gospel attributed to Luke often uses a particular phrase: power went out from him. But in the transfiguration, power comes into Jesus as he becomes as bright as the sun. And his mission changes. He goes from being a miracle worker to a teacher. His teaching is by example as he moves toward Jerusalem where he’ll be sentenced to death. His life (and ministry) before the transfiguration is very different from his life after this ecstatic experience. Essential to this mountaintop experience is a very deep affirmation of who he is and what he does. He is the beloved. He is the teacher (because others are told to listen).
As with many stories in the Bible, I don’t know if any of the details actually occurred. That’s not important to me. What is important to me is that the story is a paradigm for living well. The example of Jesus on living well in the midst of transition is to take time away, to step out of our day-to-day routine, and be focused on the spiritual dimension of life. It’s by taking time in solitude, or sharing with close friends, that the experience of transition becomes clearer to us. When Jesus did precisely this by hiking up a mountain with friends, he was able to embrace the transition that was before him. He moved from a way of life healing each person he encountered to teaching a way of living that would bring healing to the world.
While our transitions may not be as ecstatic and mystical as the one exemplified in the transfiguration of Jesus, the story provides a lesson about how to move through life’s transitions. Yes, it’s important before trying to move forward when making a transition to step away from the busyness of our lives. By stepping away, we allow ourselves to encounter a deep affirmation of who we are and experience a new sense of wholeness. Something changed for Jesus, both inside and outside. By taking time to step away from our ordinary routines and experience a time of quiet solitude, we too may experience something changing for us, both inside and outside. That’s true for us in our transitions and transformations.
Photo by Michael Bolognesi on Foter.com/CC BY-NC-SA