En Passant

En passant is a French term used in chess to describe the most obscure special move in chess.  Castling is the only move in chess in which the king can move 2 squares and is the only time 2 pieces of the same color can move in the same turn.  En passant is the only time a pawn can leave its file without occupying the square of an attacker and is the only move in which the opponent's pawn (or piece) is lost even though it is not actually being threatened.  The particulars of the move are not critical for the purpose of this blog.  It is only important to note that the term, while seemingly innocuous (in passing), is actually a special occasion.

Think of the time you spend in traffic, the time you spend between meetings, the time you spend transitioning from one task or phase to another.  These are examples in your life when you are en passant.  Would you classify these as special?  Probably not.

Recently while I was traveling back from vacation with my family, I was mentally processing the transition back to the work world.  As I was thinking this through, I realized that this transition time is of significant import.  What we do in the waiting, how we behave in the transition, the things we choose to think about in passing, all affect how we will approach the new, upcoming tasks we face next.  It is important to close one chapter of our lives before beginning another.

In general, we as humans do not like to wait.  These in-between moments are uncomfortable or boring to us.  We are accustomed to being entertained or being fully engaged in some interesting or otherwise attention-grabbing event.  I'm convinced, though, that God has called us to be faithful even in the waiting.  David had to be faithful between the time he was anointed as the next king of Israel to the time he moved into the palace as an entertainer to the time he actually became king.

Wherever you are today, realize that God knows the plans He has for you.  He will be faithful to you regardless of the stage or phase your life.  It is your responsibility to be faithful between these stages and phases.