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Today is a day of transition. Again. 

I found a quote on the last page of the book I finished today, The Suffering of God. It struck me, as it summed up what I had been reading for the previous 160-ish pages. This is the God who has been, who is, who always will be. 

His character never changes. 

Parenthesis added by me

This God of the universe, the LORD, created what we see by speaking. He is the God who makes the seas roar and mountains shake. He makes the world turn, and he knows all the stars by name. He rules over kings and nations. The earth trembles at his presence.

And he turns his ear to you.

Not only this, but his greatest desire is that you would love him as he loves you.

He desires closeness, intimacy. He always has.

On this day I have been packing and procrastinating because the inevitable awaits me - another goodbye. I leave Czech tomorrow, and fly back to the States on Monday. Although I will be returning here, and I look forward to so many people I love on the other side of the ocean in Chicago, this transition is hitting me more personally than I thought it would.

Why?

This marks yet another life stage transition. Post-college adult life actually-truly-for-real begins when I return to the States.

I will go back to Chicago and not return to Moody. I will make steps forward towards the calling the Lord has given me for this next season. I will prepare to join his movement in Central and Eastern Europe, and enter into a completely new role and world.

I am so excited, and I also recognize that with change there is always gain and loss at the same time. Loss - like of the stability of school schedules and syllabi and friends that are always nearby. Gain - the opportunity to grow in faith, connect more deeply at my church, and see what surprises the Lord has for each day in the suburbs of Chicago, and then eventually back in Europe.

It's ok to grieve the loss and celebrate the gain at the same time. They go hand in hand.

So on this day when transition is yet upon me, I cling to the Lord who actually wants to be near in times when my heart feels most vulnerable. He meets us in those places. Whether we are on mountains or in valleys, he is there. His closeness is always at hand.

The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup;
you hold my lot.
The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.

I bless the Lord who gives me counsel;
in the night also my heart instructs me.
I have set the Lord always before me;
because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.

(Psalm 16:5-8)