Here in Midcoast Maine, spring is a transitional season. We all know we’re on the way toward something good, but it’s sure taking its good old time getting here. And then, blink, and you’ll miss it!
Whenever I’m in transition, impatience tugs at my coat tails. Neither here nor there yet, I’m tempted to numb out or to hurry my way toward some destination—a focus that’s not the same as where my feet are standing.
The weather and the calendar eventually reconcile, but we all know that other transitions don’t resolve themselves so dependably:
- We manage symptoms and juggle cures while hope for healing bleeds out.
- We wait for reconciliation that stays just out of reach.
- We long-haul pray for God to rescue someone whose choices are breaking our heart.
Standing in the doorway between Hope and Have requires a sinewy faith and a level of perseverance most of us have to trust for—even the Apostle Paul! He wrote about it in his letter to the Romans:
We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us (Romans 5:3-5).
He had prayed for at least some of his suffering to be relieved, and God’s answer had been “no.” God’s gracious response provided Paul with a front-row seat to the process of spiritual formation. Like dominoes falling one after another, our suffering builds endurance. Then, endurance produces character, which enables us to reach for hope in the present moment.
By faith, we join Habakkuk, the Even-If prophet, who stayed present to the real possibility of empty fruit baskets, desolate pastures, and barren barns while still trusting God for joy.
Though the fig tree should not blossom,
nor fruit be on the vines,
the produce of the olive fail
and the fields yield no food,
the flock be cut off from the fold
and there be no herd in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord;
I will take joy in the God of my salvation” (Habakkuk 3:17-18).
The snow has melted on the hill where my garden lives, but the soil is still cold. Even the garlic I planted last fall has enough sense to stay mostly underground for now. The calendar says spring, but we’re still in a season of waiting.
Nevertheless, there’s plenty of work to be done elsewhere. This teaches me that life in the present moment is framed around a crucial question:
What can I do with what’s right here in front of me today?
While we wait for the answered prayer, the healing, the reconciliation, or the stubborn season of cold to move on, we persevere in faith and build endurance. The transitional seasons are no more absent of activity than a drop of pond water under a microscope.
What’s right in front of you today?
Can you sense that God is at work in the present moment, even if you’re waiting for a change?
How can we pray for you in this community of Christ-followers?
In 2026, I want to be more present— wherever I am. When I am with the people I love, I want to be all there. I need to inhabit fully the time and space God has ordained for me to inhabit, to stay present to the emotions that come and the season I’m living through.
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Holding You in the Light,
The weather and the calendar eventually reconcile, but we all know that other transitions don’t resolve themselves so dependably. Here’s the question, then: What can I do with what’s right here in front of me today?
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Living Our Days 
A very timely post. I literally confirmed and repeated those same words just a couple of days ago when one is coming to realize distant lands don’t hold a market on life or people needing Jesus. Those same needs are right where we are. And God can use us with what we have and where we are today without having to go across the world. In fact, I think He uses us more in the mundane.
Great post! ~ Rosie
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Some of the most influential people in my life have been pretty ordinary, so YES! I think our assignment for God can be carried out right at our dining room table if that’s where we’ve been called to show up.
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So easy to miss the moment. Great wisdom.
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Exactly! Thanks for reading, Debbie.
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I find it hardest to stay in the moment either when I have something “fun” planned coming up soon or when I’m healing or recovering from a cold/illness as I always wish myself in the future during those instances.
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Oh, that’s so true. We wait and wait for a vacation to begin, and before we know it, we’re home and it’s over!
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It’s so easy to be distracted while waiting on a hoped-for answer to prayer. This is a good reminder to ficus on what God has for us to do in the waiting.
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You’re so right. I think we tend to think of the waiting as something extra, alongside the waited-for end we desire. I’m beginning to think that at times the waiting is the main thing.
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A very timely message. Transitions are often periods of uncertainty and stress, by definition, and it’s tempting to be impatient, or frustrated, or just lazy and inactive while we wait for something to happen. Waiting for God’s answers to our prayers doesn’t necessarily mean we sit and do nothing. I need to remember to ask God what it is I should be doing or learning or working on, rather than being lazy.
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Great question to ask!
What should I be doing?
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‘Whenever I’m in transition, impatience tugs at my coat tails. Neither here nor there yet, I’m tempted to numb out or to hurry my way toward some destination—a focus that’s not the same as where my feet are standing.’
Oh yeah. I’m resonating. May God give us extra portions of that persevering, ‘sinewy faith’ that can only come from Him.
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Yes, that’s what we need, and I am always reassured by his willingness to meet us more than halfway!
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Thank you, Michelle – once again, you’ve hit a rich vein in my present life. Great encouragement! God bless!
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Thanks for reading! So glad something resonated!
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Seems like we’re always standing in the doorway between Hope and Have with some desire or other. I once saw an arched doorway bordered with a lovely vine of painted flowers. Perhaps that visual offers a clue of what to do while stranded there–“paint” life with joy and gratitude, kindness and love, generosity and hospitality. The wait-time will pass much more pleasantly. (Help me remember and execute such practices, Lord, with perseverance and positivity!)
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That’s a lovely suggestion and so memorable! God certainly gives us plenty of good work to do—even in the doorway—if we’re willing to pay attention.
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[…] Stay in the Present Moment During Your Seasons of Transition. “The weather and the calendar eventually reconcile, but we all know that other transitions don’t resolve themselves so dependably. Here’s the question, then: What can I do with what’s right here in front of me today?” […]
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I agree that too much looking forward or backward robs us of what God has for us in the present.
Stopped by a second time from One Word – April
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Yes, the present moment is where we are currently able to make a difference!
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This became especially poignant to me over the last few weeks Michele when my family went through moments of complete craziness, shared in the following; “I couldn’t Believe it!”
The verse from Habakkuk is one of my favourites too!
Blessings, Jennifer
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I hope it was okay to share that post with you here.
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Absolutely!!👍
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Thank you! ☺️
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It takes intentionality to life in the present, Michele. So many things want to distract our attention from Him, our family, and friends.
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Very true, and our attention has become our most valuable and sought after commodity.
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This is always a great question to ask ourselves each day: “What can I do with what’s right here in front of me today?” Thinking about how I’m answering it in this exact moment…
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Always grateful for every opportunity to think alongside you, Lisa.
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