Life is full of transition, and change is hard. When life changes, do you mull over what was and can no longer be? What you could do and can no longer do? Transitions happen in many ways: A move often means we can no longer rely on physical visits with close friends we once enjoyed, or enjoy scenery and landmarks to which we were accustomed. Personal projects or dreams may run into closed doors, tempting us with discouragement. Health failure can make most everything we once enjoyed impossible to do—going places, traveling, visiting with friends, sports, and much more. Job changes might be good, or they may mean we no longer enjoy a job that seemed a “perfect fit.” Job losses or financial setbacks can mean we no longer enjoy a dinner out, but instead, wonder how to keep food on the table. Loss of loved ones changes so many things about every part of life. What felt good and right can quickly turn into to an uncomfortable loneliness. Transitions must be grieved. This is needed. However, without wisdom, we can travel down a sad, sinking spiral. Transitions are so much better with wisdom. Wisdom finds what it can do, rather than what it cannot do. Wyndham can’t do much of anything he once could do. Even basic conversation is hard since his speech no longer works well. In all the transitions, I can be tempted to list in my mind things he/we can no longer do. But what good is that? Wyndham decided (from the time he began “crossing off” things he once enjoyed doing but can no longer do) to focus on what he still can do. Wisdom tells him there is no benefit in focusing on what he can’t do. Wisdom tells me the same thing. Wisdom focuses on what can be done, not what can’t be done. It’s a good exercise, no matter the difficult transition, to focus on what we can do. We can love. We can be loved. We can appreciate God’s creation. If we are blind, we can hear, touch, and smell it. If we are deaf, we can see it. If we have lost all senses, we can feel love in our soul and the kiss of God from the wind.

Shared from Wednesday Wisdom with Wyndham by Jeanie Shaw