Early in my Christian life, I had access to a library that owned a copy of the Noah Webster dictionary. It remained in the Reference Books section due to its humongous size and weight. I was especially fascinated that it made reference and defined words used in the 1611 King James Version Bible. As young Christian students, you not only want accurate reference books but also literature that respects your Christian values.
Merriam Webster Dictionary defines “transition” as: –
- a: passage from one state, stage, subject, or place to another : change
- b: a movement, development, or evolution from one form, stage, or style to another
- a : a musical modulation
- b : a musical passage leading from one section of a piece to another
- a: an abrupt change in energy state or level (as of an atomic nucleus or a molecule) usually accompanied by loss or gain of a single quantum of energy
Review underlined definitions and understand how they relate to our topic here.
- Passage
- Change
- Movement
- Development
- Evolution
- Modulation
In addition to synonyms above, let’s also consider the following concept:
- Transition is the transformative space between where you are coming from and where you are going
- NB: You are NOW beginning to take on higher responsibilities. God, family, society, government, etc. will hold you accountable for your decisions, choices and behavior. This is a time to learn important skills for your future needs.
As a professional artist, I am trained in the use of light, color, value, line, etc. In art, gradation is the shift between values, like color intensity, etc. Gradient also refers to the subtle shift between overlapping colors. Color gradient is a good visual analogy of the point we’re making about transitions.
Gradient shifts
Transition from black to white is a gradual decline. The gray intermediary is darker near black and lighter towards 
white. Between blue and red are purple hues. A gradient between blue and yellow is greenish. If you can, try out these experiments. Gradient shift is imprecise. No hard edges mark the changes. To achieve a desired hue, you add more of the altering pigment.
Similarly, life’s transitions are gradual and subtle. Information is a crucial factor in determining quality and speed of transition. Ask yourself: What info do I rely on for my decisions? What is its source? Who communicates it to me? When, and how? Why should I trust it? Who else relies on this info? How has it affected other people? Etc.
The maturing process in humans is like a building construction. For best results, both require skilled supervision. Transition is a time of: –
- Inspection
- Evaluation
- Correction
- Redirection
Construction
Municipalities around the world have bylaws that govern housing. Office and residential buildings must meet set standards. Certified engineers inspect each phase of construction. Without their approval, further work is halted. Between some phases, an edifice must lie dormant for specified periods to cure and stabilize. To a hasty pr
oprietor, downtime is wasted time. Some find illegal ways to proceed recklessly. The results are disastrous. Buildings have collapsed killing people and causing huge loses!
Supervision provides essential benefits. Phase by phase reviews catch errors in good time to prevent expensive repairs, or eventual demolition. Necessary alterations are promptly made, ensuring that no problems are carried forward.
In life also, we need “skilled engineers”, as it were, to guide our progress. Mentors come in the form of parents, instructors, church workers and so on. Your peers don’t qualify as mentors because they haven’t learned enough about life to guide someone else. A stranger cannot be your mentor; you should never trust someone you don’t know well. Whomever you pick as a mentor must embody the values you seek to learn.
Three Easy Illustrations
Dishonest Maiden and a Maize Field
I grew up in an agrarian countryside where folks practiced mixed farming. My mother carried seeds in a small basket wrapped around her waist. One hand held an implement to cut slots in the ground and the other dropped two or three kernels into it. With incredible speed, she buried the seeds and pressed a heavy heel over the spot so birds couldn’t easily dig them out. Watching Mom work was as endearing as it was memorable. Moving rhythmically back and forth across the 
tilled field, she seemed to find much delight in her work.
One day, a mother sent her youthful daughter to such a task. Soon, peers saw her and jeered. They persuaded her to abandon the ‘boring’ task and join them for fun sport. In her naivety, the poor girl emptied the bag into a pit and joined her buddies. A few days later, a forest of maize seedlings sprung from the ditch!
Looking at you right now, I can’t tell what you are doing about your future. But time will show. Nobody escapes consequences of their choices. Tomorrow is coming, whichever way it finds you. Please disregard stuff that lures you to disobey your seniors. Postpone fun activities that divert your focus from essential goals.
A Servant in the Hands of an Angry King
Ancient kings were supreme rulers. In parts of the world where kings still rule, they wield enormous power. Once upon a time, a servant provoked his king’s wrath. The tyrant decided to kill him in style. He put a chalice of wine into the servant’s hand with these instructions; “If you carry this chalice across the field to 
my judgment chamber without spilling a drop, your life will be spared.”
The servant, determined to save his life, steadied himself and walked cautiously. Outside, a spectacle awaited him. Rowdy mobs lined both sides of the pavement. Those on his right cheered him on with kind and uplifting words. From his left came insults, jeers and ill wishes. At the corner of his eye, he caught sight of the shining edge of an executioner’s axe. The soldier’s heavy boots coming behind him reassured his fate if he spilt the king’s wine. In that catch 22 situation, the servant blocked out the world and advanced towards the king’s chambers. Mobs got louder. The pursuing executioner was irritable and impatient. Step by careful step the servant walked. Finally, with a gasp of relief, he placed the chalice on the king’s table and stepped back.
The king was surprised and amused. “No doubt, you are determined to live!” he roared, “but before I let you go, I want you to tell me something.”
King: Did you notice anything along your way here?
Servant: Yes King, mobs thronged my pathway and a slayer pursued me.
King: Did the mobs say anything to you?
Servant: Yes Sir, some cheered and others jeered.
King: What did you think of those that cheered?
Servant: Nothing Sir. I didn’t think about them.
King: You didn’t? That’s amazing. How about those that jeered?
Servant: I didn’t think about them either.
King: No, of course you didn’t. How about the soldier at your heels?
Servant: Sir, my one and only focus was to place a chalice full of wine on your table to save my life. I didn’t pay attention to anything else.
My young friend, like that threatened servant, your path of life is paved with distractions. Be they friendly or hostile, distractions cannot derail your goals unless you let them. If you get sucked up into extraneous activities, you will lose valuable time, and you can never regain it. Time is a constant value. In every part of the world, an hour has sixty minutes. That’s true whether you are rich or poor, great or small, sick or healthy. What you do with your time is up to you. You can utilize or waste time; you cannot invent it.
Set Your Priorities in Proper Order
A philosophy professor placed a large glass jar on the table. His class of college students watched keenly as he pulled rocks from a drawer and inserted them into the jar one after another. When he couldn’t fit more rocks, he asked, “Is this jar full?” “Yes!” the students yelled. The professor pulled out a bag of pebbles and carefully poured them in, shaking the jar gently. Pebbles found their place between the rocks. “Is this jar full?” he asked again. This time the students were hesitant. So the professor got a bag of sand and poured it in. The students watched silently.
“What does this demonstration tell you?” he asked. “I believe,” one student offered, “it shows that no matter how tight your schedule, you can fit in more items.” “No”, the professor replied flatly.
Another student raised her hand. “It demonstrates that different communities can coexist with limited resources.” The professor stared at her sternly, “No, you
are reading too much into a simple demonstration. I’ve simply showed you that if you don’t put rocks in first, you’ll never be able to put them all in.”
Life demands order, whether you know it or not. You’ve heard the saying, “first things first.” To fit everything in the jar, rocks go in first, then pebbles, and sand last. If you change the order, the jar will fill up before you put everything in. This jar represents your time in this world. It is a constant value. The elements represent activities that take up your time. Rocks are your most important projects. Pebbles are important things that aren’t urgent. Such take second priority. Sand is for activities that don’t really matter.
What are your big rocks? If you don’t establish good manners, discipline, love for God and family, honesty, hard work and other important values early, it’s much harder to pick them up later in life. If you pick bad company today, their negative impact will affect your life later.
Rocks go in first. Establish good values to live by. Godliness, humility, prayerfulness, education, self-control, honor for authority figures, integrity, patriotism, etc. Values must be built into your character early in life. These will uphold you like foundational pillars. Neglecting them will be sure recipe for trouble in later days. There is room for less important things, but only when applied in the correct order of priority.
The Example of Jesus’ Early Years
As Christians, we model our lives after Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Nobody else ever came to this world with a more important mission. He was sent by God the Father to buy us back from eternal damnation. And for all His majesty and excellence of purpose, Jesus submitted to a path of ordered priorities. That is a huge lesson for us. No matter what kind of family we are born into or how smart we are, if we don’t learn right values and apply ourselves to them, we can never attain the highest goals God desires for us.
Please read the following passage in context and apply it to your personal life. I won’t explain it further because I want you to pick out what God is saying to you in it.
When Jesus’ parents had fulfilled all the requirements of the Law of God, they returned home to Nazareth in Galilee. 40 There the child became a strong, robust lad, and was known for wisdom beyond his years; and God poured out his blessings on him. 41-42 When Jesus was twelve years old, he accompanied his parents to Jerusalem for the annual Passover Festival, which they attended each year. 43 After the celebration was over they started home to Nazareth, but Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents didn’t miss him the first day, 44 for they assumed he was with friends among the other travelers. But when he didn’t show up that evening, they started to look for him among their relatives and friends; 45 and when they couldn’t find him, they went back to Jerusalem to search for him there. 46-47 Three days later they finally discovered him. He was in the Temple, sitting among the teachers of Law, discussing deep questions with them and amazing everyone with his understanding and answers. 48 His parents didn’t know what to think. “Son!” his mother said to him. “Why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been frantic, searching for you everywhere.” 49 “But why did you need to search?” he asked. “Didn’t you realize that I would be here at the Temple, in my Father’s House?” 50 But they didn’t understand what he meant. 51 Then he returned to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them; and his mother stored away all these things in her heart. 52 So Jesus grew both tall and wise, and was loved by God and man. (Luke 2:39-52 ~TLB)