Ever notice how your eyes have to adjust when you move from a light room to a darker one? It takes the eyes longer to make out shapes, figures, and people.

       Going through a transition in life into a new phase is similar. You can’t quite make out the new images and shapes of faith you need to adapt to. You truly must become a new person.

       For most of us, God calls us to new shapes of faith throughout our lives. Sometime, those new shapes are simply a rolling over from our last shape of faith. Other times…, not so much. Deeper faith is always a challenge.

       And, there is no going back to the way you were. NO WAY. Your only way out if forward. It’s like going from the light into the dark. You need time to adjust to who you will become now.

      Retirement is definitely a move from light to dark, where the future is not so clear. Things will take time to become clearer.

       So, whatever you are going through now will have to face new images of you, new ways of seeing things. The shape of your faith will have to adjust to this new reality.

       Some of the things we will have to change are—

1.      How we use our time.

2.      Deciding what our new priorities should be.

3.      Changing friendships, meeting new people.

4.      Adjusting to a lower income.

5.      Becoming more just-the-two-of-us.

6.      What it means to be Christian in this new Quantum Era.

       As I’ve aged things I did not understand in my 20’s, 30’s, and 40’s are now making more sense. You will find that in your life as well.

       Progressive perspective.

       If we do not adapt to these new realities we will become stuck in our old ways. There may have been safety there— But we cannot stay there.

       Adapt. Adjust. Become something other than who/what you were. Jesus had to when he came to earth.

Find hope my friend, in the God Who knows you,

Gary

NEXT– thoughts on moving beyond.