Tag Archives: birth of something new

Burn the Ships

Burn the Ships title image

Burn the Ships

A couple months ago I heard a song for the first time called “Burn the Ships”, by for KING & COUNTRY (video below). I got really excited to show my son the song because he had just told me the story about the Spanish explorer and conquistador, Hernán Cortés, who burned his ships to give his men motivation to fight. I never remembered learning about this story before.

He had actually learned it from his baseball coach this year. In fact, it’s one of the team’s mantras this year. You see, last year the team made the state playoffs but just missed making it to the championship game. This year their coach didn’t want that to hold them back. He said they need motivation just like Cortés’ men did in order to conquer the new land. They have to fight in order to survive.

For the baseball team, the metaphorical ships are their past (the past losses, being an ordinary team, almost winning, etc.). They needed to burn them down, get out of their shell, and fight as a team this year. To symbolize this, the team huddles up and shouts “1-2-3-BTS!” (BTS=Burn the ships) The back of their hoodies this year also say “Burn the Ships”.

Hernán Cortés-Burn the Ships

Cortés was said to have burned his own ships upon arrival in Veracruz, Mexico in 1519 to prevent the retreat of his men. This would send a clear message—that there was no turning back! After doing a little bit of research I discovered that Cortés, in fact, may not have actually burned the ships. There is some dispute about whether or not he burned the ships or instead sank, scuttled, or ran them aground. Additionally it is debated whether or not he actually spared one ship to send to King Charles V in Spain with a portion of the treasure from his conquest.

Regardless of the “how”, it is evident from history that the ships were indeed destroyed. Thus, the result and reasoning remain the same…to prevent retreat and ensure his men were committed to their mission. Cortés knew one thing: retreat is easy when you have the option. Therefore, to burn the ships is to cut all sources of retreat. Consequently he removed any obstacles that could potentially hold his men back from giving their full effort. The message? “Succeed or die. We are not leaving this place alive unless we win.”

A reminder to me

This reminded me of a particular time that I too had to burn the ships at one time. 10 years ago our marriage was in a deep and dark place, to the point of separation and divorce papers. It was very broken—beyond any repair that we could humanly do. Only by God’s grace, forgiveness, and power was our marriage restored.

Tattoo rings...symbols of what God has done

My tattoo ring is a reminder to me of what God has done in my marriage

We symbolically burned the ships when we literally burned our divorce papers. (I had a picture I was going to post of us burning them with fireworks on the 4th of July, but I can’t seem to find it.) My “ship” was divorce, and by burning that it took that option off of the table forever. Then on our 15 year anniversary, five years later, we re-committed with another symbolic (yet quite permanent!) declaration by getting tattoos on our wedding ring fingers as a reaffirmation of our vows.

Last month (December 2019) we celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary. The traditional “gift” for 20 years is china, so I made Eric a mosaic out of a broken piece of china of my grandmother’s. This mosaic represented how God made something new and beautiful out of something very broken. This was only possible because we committed to burn the ships and decided to look ahead to the possibility and promise of something new.

Mosaic china heart

Mosaic china label

Still need reminders on occasion

Continue reading

Are You Going Through a Transition?

Are You Going Through a Transition? Learn how to recognize if something new is about to happen in your life and how to navigate through it.

Image credit: mrpuen via FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Are You Going Through a Transition?  Learn how to recognize if something new is about to happen in your life and how to navigate through it.

At the start of the year 2014, God revealed to me that I was going through a transition in my life.  Quite honestly, it was a pretty painful time, and a lot seemed to be going wrong.  For the first time in several years, I didn’t receive a teaching assignment for my college classes, and I was dealing with some conflict at work.  We encountered several trivial problems (even though they didn’t seem so trivial at the time) such as our heater going out, our refrigerator going out, and my wedding ring breaking (and then my temporary replacement ring breaking too!).  We had to deal with some family emergencies.

Then, on top of several other financial setbacks, my husband didn’t get his annual bonus at work which we had very unwisely come to depend on.  There were countless circumstances, some of which I’m not at liberty to share, that were incredibly draining…of our emotions, time, and finances.  It was one thing after another, and it seemed never-ending.  I felt like I was in an ocean being bombarded by wave after wave barely able to catch my breath.

My goal with this post

I KNOW you know this feeling!  You may have even had some time in your own life come to mind while reading this.  That’s actually my goal.  My hope with this post is to help you relate and to distinguish some of the times of transition in your own life.  My goal is for us to be able to look back on our lives and see some of the things that we’ve been through and then notice the birth of something new that followed that period of transition. In addition to identifying transition times in our past, I want us to be able to recognize when we are potentially in the process of a transition and learn how to navigate it through it.

Gradual revelations

During this difficult time, I encountered several repeated phrases (evidence of God talking to me) such as “passing through” and “a little while”.  I realized that God was trying to tell me that I was going through something that wouldn’t last…a transition of sorts.  I also had 2 very vivid dreams about weddings.  OK, so normally I’m not a person to put much stock in dreams, but for some reason these REALLY stuck out to me so I looked them up on a dream dictionary app.  A wedding in a dream symbolizes a new beginning or a transition in your current life.  Again that word “transition” came up!  Then all of a sudden God gave me the analogy of the “transition” stage of labor (in the birthing process).

Transition in childbirth

Are You Going Through a Transition? Learn how to recognize if something new is about to happen in your life and how to navigate through it.

Stages of Labor–arrow pointing at Transition

I specifically remembered learning about the transition stage of labor in my childbirth classes (10 years earlier!) because I remembered the picture graph they showed and the way they described it, and I particularly remember thinking…”That part doesn’t look fun.”  I imagined the chart had transition paired with tall, sharp jagged lines to match the intense, sharp pain that one would experience during this phase.

The transition stage is the most challenging part of the birthing process (you can read a description here on BabyCenter.com).  It’s during this phase that the pain is the worst and the contractions are the strongest and longest.  They also come very quickly, one right after another, sometimes even overlapping.  There is not much time to relax in between each contraction (like those ocean waves bearing down!).  There may be moments when you feel exhausted, frustrated, impatient, overwhelmed, and you may feel a lot of pressure as well.  The transition stage can sometimes seem unbearable.  Thank God for epidurals!  Too bad there’s not a spiritual epidural…hmmm, sounds like a new post in the making! 🙂

Advantages of transition

Unbearable as it seems though, the transition stage has its advantages. One of the redeeming points of the transition stage is that it is the shortest stage.  It’s also a very necessary stage because it is the preparation for the next stage (the birth of something new).  Transition is a time of expansion and making room (i.e. dilation of the cervix to 10 cm) for the new “thing” to push out and through.  In labor, the cervix has to be dilated to 10 cm in order for the baby to have room to come out.  Uncomfortable as it is, it’s a necessary process that cannot be skipped.  It’s a process of growth.

To give another analogy, transition is a season.  Similarly, winter is a season of preparation for spring and its new births—new plants, leaves, flowers, and growth.  Just like in winter when we can’t see what’s happening in the ground to prepare for the spring, in transition you can’t see the baby yet either.  It may be a phase that seems barren or seems like nothing is happening, BUT it’s coming!  Something new and wonderful is about to happen!  Seasons change and bring something new.

God’s preparation

Interestingly enough, God had given me a couple of verses/a promise several years ago (it’s still on an index card on my bathroom mirror) that talked about a “new thing”.  Since God’s Word is living and active (Hebrews 4:12), these verses have meant so many things to me over the years.  This time, however, I saw them in a different context.

“The Lord says, ‘Forget what happened before, and do not think about the past.  Look at the new thing I am going to do.  It is happening already.  Don’t you see it?  I will make a road in the desert and rivers in dry land.” Isaiah 43:18-19 (NCV)

Are You Going Through a Transition? Learn how to recognize if something new is about to happen in your life and how to navigate through it.

For me, this transition into a “new thing” or “new birth” was this blog. 🙂 The semester off of teaching gave me some much-needed time to write, take classes, and educate myself on all things blog and techie (ok so maybe not all things…I’m still learning).

I’m also happy to announce that God was faithful in our struggles too.  We made it through every financial setback, our heater was fixed, we got a beautiful brand new fridge, I have a wedding ring that won’t break now (see it here), I was assigned even more classes during the fall semester than I’ve ever taught before and made some great new relationships in the process, our family situations began to mend, AND my husband got his bonus that next year!!!  Yay! Praise God!

“But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.” 2 Corinthians 2:14 (NASB)

My story goes on, and I have so much more that I can share with you about this, but we’ll have to save it for another day and time. 🙂

Take Some Practical Steps to Navigate Transition:

  • First, try to pinpoint times in your past when you’ve gone through a transition that prepared you for something new to come into your life. 

Looking at what God has brought you through before and at how He’s prepared you in the past can give you strength, encouragement, and momentum for the things that you are currently going through or have yet to go through.  Seeing prior examples (in yourself and in others) will make your transitions more bearable…like a spiritual epidural??? 🙂

  • Then, recognize when you are potentially in the process of a transition.

Are you taking hit after hit?  Does it feel like waves of circumstances are bearing down on you one right after another?  Does it feel like you are having painful “contractions” one after another seemingly unable to relax or catch your breath?  Do you feel exhausted, frustrated, impatient, overwhelmed, and feel a lot of pressure as well?  You might be in transition, preparing for something new to happen in your life.

  • Next, pray about it.

If you’re not sure if you’re in a transition, ask God.  I was listening to one of Pastor Steven Furtick’s messages during this “transition stage” of mine.  It was titled “Weather the Winter”.  He talked about how we need to stop trying to focus on the REASON and focus on our RESPONSE instead.  He said to quit focusing on the “why” and start focusing on the “what”.  Ask God, “WHAT are you preparing me for?” OR… “WHAT are you preparing for me?” 

You can also pray for strength during this season. **Check out this Prayer for Strength or visit this page for a list of other prayers that may be helpful.

  • Also, rely heavily on a support person.

Most resources recommend that during labor you need a support person to help you through the process of birthing.  A transition in your life will also require support.  Remember the Formula for Success and running your “LAPS”?  Your primary “S” or “Support” in transition should be God.  You also need other support people in your life that can encourage you through a transition.

  • Furthermore, when you feel overwhelmed try to focus on one thing at a time and remember the progress you’ve already made.

Just breathe and focus–yes, exactly like a woman in labor!  The American Pregnancy Association gives this advice during the time of transition: “try to think one contraction at a time” and “remember how far you’ve already come”.  They also give great tips for a support person (it’s good advice even when you’re not having a baby!).

  • Recognize that you are growing and expanding.

God is making room in your life for something new to happen.  Take note of the new things that you are learning throughout the process and the new growth that’s coming about.

  • Finally, be encouraged that something exciting is about to happen!

Don’t give up even when you can’t see your “new thing” yet.  Hang in there and get excited.  A new birth is exciting!  Yes, it can be messy and inconvenient at times, but the pros far outweigh the cons.  God may be getting ready to bring such a blessing into your life that is even more than you could ever ask for or imagine!

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us” Ephesians 3:20 (NIV) 

What kinds of transition have you gone through?  Tell us about it by leaving a comment below. 

Please note: I reserve the right to delete comments that are rude, disrespectful, sarcastic, offensive, divisive, or off-topic.  By posting on this site you agree to my Comment Policy.

P.S.  If you liked this post, you might enjoy receiving new posts delivered right to your inbox each week!  Sign up here

If you have benefited from this post or if you know anyone that could benefit from this, please pay it forward and share this post with them via the sharing links below! “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (NIV)