Life Transitions
What are transitions? Transitions are major turning points in a person’s life. One kind of transition involves the loss of someone or something that has meaning for you. At the same time, this loss can become the gain of something which has potential to you. The loss of a loved one, or loss of a job, or failure in an important examination are examples of this kind of transition. The loss of a beloved family member is an especially painful transition as we adjust to a new reality. Loss of a job or career can be equally devastating. At the same time, our loss often opens a way for a new gain. The loss of a job can lead to a career change and a new direction in life. Bereavement might lead to greater appreciation for other members of our family.
Heard the saying, “there is nothing constant but change”? How can you cope better when you next encounter a new experience, especially one you have little or no control over? Elder Melville Szto and his wife, Salome, are no strangers to changes and life transitions. They returned from the mission field in 2010 after serving a total of 27 years in Japan - 19 years from 1975-1994, and then 8 years from 2003-2010. The years in between, 1995-2001, were spent at Asian Cross-cultural Training Institute where he served as dean. Elder Melville is currently part of the pastoral team at BFEC and also serves on the pastoral team at the Japanese Christian Fellowship Church. Elder Melville and Salome have been married for 41 years. They are parents and parents-in-law to Sharon and Willy Ong, and Mark and Clara Szto. They have also been blessed with a granddaughter, Astrid, and a grandson, Nicholas. In this article, Elder Melville shares with us the precious lessons that we can learn from transitioning through different stages and new experiences in life.
Transitions also happen when we make major decisions for our lives. When we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, our lives are transformed. When we accept a call from God to go into Christian ministry, be it as a missionary, pastor, Christian social worker etc., there is a major transition from work we previously did. A change of career is similarly a transition. A transition also occurs when we cross over from one stage of life to another. When we get married or when we become a parent, we experience an immediate transition. Our status has also changed. When we grow from childhood to adulthood, the transition process takes longer and can be difficult as we pass through the stage of adolescence. Some people have a mid-life crisis and face a different kind of transition. They may ask, “Am I doing the right thing or have I wasted my life up to now?” There could be both negative and positive ramifications for a person going through such a soulsearching transition. Growing old, too, is a transition. Although this is a non-event for most people since it occurs so gradually, we may not be conscious of it. Nonetheless, retirement is an eventful transition. Some transitions are predictable, like having to do national service if you are a Singaporean male. Others are unpredictable, like injury or death caused by accident, or being diagnosed with an incurable disease, or being suddenly laid off work.
Transitions are part of life Transitions are to be expected in life. What is
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