Wherever there is transition, it is helpful to objectify your experience by making a story out of it. When Homer told the story of Ulysses' odyssey, he gave his hearers a way to understand their own journeys. A certain healing and wisdom is offered when we see an actor on stage handle issues similar to the drama of our lives. We take a step back. By viewing our experience as a story, we discover its handles and the places where we can manipulate the outcome (hence the positive use of the word ‘objectify’ above). This is true both for clergy and their families as they transition from one ministry setting to another, as well as, for congregations that have a change in leadership, location, or missional focus.

Step 1: Find a biblical story, movie, or novel, that you think resonates with your current experience. You may wish to consider the following examples:

• David and Goliath - In this transition you may feel like a small person going up against something too big to handle. Like David, you may be asked to wear someone else’s armor or way of doing things. How do you strip to your authentic self? What smooth stones or truths help you to level the playing field?
• The Hobbit - Has your current situation become too much like the Shire, with its comfort and lack of challenge? How are you different from the others that Gandalf or the bishop is asking to make a similar change at this time? What unique gifts and talents are you discovering in yourself? Is there a ring or an old way of doing things that will become poisonous to you if you hold on to it too long?
• Ruth - Notice how this woman enters into one transition, from singleness to marriage, but the unexpected ending of that move leads to a greater journey. The story of Ruth is fully understood, only in hind sight.
• Gone with the Wind - Is your transition beginning to feel epic? Notice that the lack of transparency between the participants in the drama leads to much of the tragedy. What is the role of passion and emotion in your life transition?
• Jonah - Is there a reluctance in your heart relating to your prejudices about the place where you are called to go? Note the worship Jonah does in belly of the fish (chapter 2) and its pivotal role. How could your transition have a happy ending? Notice that the book of Jonah ends without Jonah becoming any wiser about his calling or life.

As you look at the above, you may notice that there are certain common elements to every narrative of transition. They all have a wilderness-like middle part where things are uncertain. Wilderness can take many forms; it can be a forrest, as in Tolkien’s  Mirkwood, or the sea, or Jonah’s whale, or a demilitarized zone, as it was for Goliath and David. This is the part of the story where we grieve for what we must lose and accept our own dependance upon God. Notice that transitional stories always have unexpected endings. May you live in such adventurous times.

Step 2: Write down all the ways your current experience is similar to the chosen transitional narrative. Repeat this process with other stories, books, and movies, as your transition goes forward. Laugh at what you find funny. Put your story character’s name on a post-it note on your bathroom mirror. Look for hidden wisdom.

Step 3: Now go to those who are with you in this journey and listen as they identify their own stories for this transition. Share. Find ways to support each other in prayer.