Transition

Many…many years ago I worked with middle school students on a weekly basis. Middle school students are the equivalent to a carbonated beverage shaken up and opened…but the fizzing never stops. I enjoyed and loved them, but at times wanted to lock them in barrels and roll them down a hill. Anyway…To be successful with middle school students was not a matter of teaching content, creativity,or amazing activities. Those are super important and must happen in the life of ministry. However, it didn’t matter what content was shared or what games were played because If I could not master the transitions of the gathering, the really important elements would be diminished or even absent. If I could not get the 40 middle school students from hanging out mode to game mode to listening mode to whatever was next…all was lost. I had to learn to be a master of transitions.
This truth crosses all areas of life. For college students transitions are huge. The transition from high school to college. The transition from having a boyfriend or girlfriend to being single for the third time this year… The transition from familiar to unfamiliar is hard and takes time to settle in to the new rhythm of life. The transition from spring break to regular class schedule. The transition from being a college student at school to coming home for the summer is very difficult. When mom and dad want to slap an eleven o’clock curfew and you have been “free” from parental rule for the last eight months can cause friction. All transitions bring positives and negatives. All transitions being a level of anxiety, worry, stress and opportunity. So…think about the next six months of your life. What transitions are heading your way in the near future? What can you do to master the approaching transitions? Master the transitions and the flow of life might be less hectic…even when you work with middle school students.