As summer ends and autumn grows closer, I am reminded that a new season is coming, not just in terms of nature but also as a new period of life. The song “Seasons” by We Are Messengers captures this idea, musically conveying the truth that we will all experience changing seasons in life.
For example, many students have returned to school with a new year of work and friends ahead of them. Numerous young people have started their freshman year at college, some away from home for the first time.
Others have embarked on new jobs, stepped in to care for aging parents, or begun the journey of motherhood or fatherhood.
Regardless of what season you have found yourself in, starting a new period of life is often challenging. New seasons of life can bring opportunities like the promise of new buds in spring, but also a feeling of loss. Trees must shed their old leaves before fresh growth begins. Transitions can be bittersweet.
During times when everything is changing, we need encouragement and reminders about God’s constant presence. If you find yourself struggling with a new season of life, then take a breath and spend some time reflecting on the following points.
1. God Is the Same Even When Our Circumstances Change
Scripture teaches us that, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens” (Ecclesiastes 3:1). For instance, there is a time to be born and a time to die, a time to laugh and a time to weep (Ecclesiastes 3:2, 4).
Periods of our lives shift and bring different circumstances. Sometimes, though, we can feel that the only thing that is consistent is the fact that things change.
In a world where nothing seems to stay the same, we can find comfort in knowing that there is Someone who is always reliable and consistent. The Lord God always stays the same, regardless of the circumstances around us.
He is the same “yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8, NLT). Christians should take comfort in knowing that the Lord is always good, loving, and faithful, even if our situation in life drastically changes.
Also, Jesus told us that He will always be with us (Matthew 28:20). Friends or families may leave or die, but our Savior remains at our side. He has promised to never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). Nothing can separate us from God, not even a new season of life (Romans 8:38-39).
When we feel overwhelmed by the changes in our lives, and everything around us seems unsteady, we can find strength and solace in the reminder that God never changes.
He remains the same loving, holy God who promises to stay with us. People can come and go from our lives, but Christ will never leave. Our Lord is faithful and unchanging.
2. The Lord Can Use Periods of Transition to Encourage Spiritual Growth
God is the great Gardener. He planted the first garden in Eden at the creation of the world (Genesis 2:8). Scripture also uses gardening imagery in reference to how God works to make believers grow.
Jesus explained that He is the True Vine, the Father is the Gardener, and believers are the branches (John 15:1, 5). We can only bear fruit if we remain in Christ and abide in Him (John 15:4).
One of the ways that God encourages us to grow and bear more spiritual fruit is to prune us (John 15:2). Pruning is not pleasant to the plant at the time, but it is necessary to encourage growth and greater fruition.
Likewise, the Lord can use new seasons in our lives to spur us on to greater spiritual growth. Changes in our circumstances and relationships can jar us and take us out of our comfort zones.
These are times when our faith is stretched and tested. If we are attentive to the Lord, we can find opportunities for growth amid the pain of transition.
The important thing to do is to abide in Christ and trust in what He is doing. Remember that He said, “Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me” (John 15:4).
We can easily lose focus because of the events happening around us, but we need to fix our eyes on Jesus. Investing regularly in our relationship with the Lord is vital during seasons of change.
Therefore, when things are changing around us, we should take time to pause and ask God what He is doing in our lives.
He might be using an unpleasant transition to prune us with the goal of producing spiritual fruit in us.
By regularly spending time with the great Gardener, we can begin to see how the disruptions in our lives could be opportunities that will bud and blossom into new life for God’s glory.
3. It’s Okay to Grieve the Changing Seasons in Life
While considering the shifting seasons, we could find ourselves missing the former period of our life that we left behind. Looking at all that has passed can be painful. In these times, we need to give ourselves permission to grieve.
Our Lord knows what it’s like to go through transitions because He lived a human life. Because of the incarnation, Jesus can empathize with us, including when we feel pain (Hebrews 4:15).
We can talk to Him about our feelings and how we miss the former period of our lives. He will listen because He cares (1 Peter 5:7).
In the moments when we are struggling, we should know that it is okay to grieve and that the Lord understands. Pain and sorrow about a new season have the potential to drive us closer to the Lord if we lean on Him during difficult transitions. He will be with us, even as we grieve the former days.
4. We Have an Assured Future with the Lord
During unsteady times, an encouraging reminder is that we will spend eternity with the Lord in joy and wonder. No longer will we grieve the former days, because God will wipe away every tear (Revelation 21:4). The Lord will live with us and make all things new (Revelation 21:5).
In eternity, there will be no fear of missing opportunities because we will experience new adventures with other believers and our Savior.
The best experiences we had in various seasons of life cannot compare with the happiness that awaits us in our forever home. We are wise to reflect on scriptural promises for the future, especially when everything around us seems uncertain.
Here are a few steadfast truths about the future that we can find comfort in:
- Even though we will die, we will live for eternity because of Jesus’s death and resurrection (John 11:25-26).
- Believing loved ones who have died are with the Lord in heaven (2 Corinthians 5:1). We will see them again (1 Thessalonians 4:13-14).
- One day, sorrow and pain will be wiped away (Revelation 21:4). No longer will we be under the curse of sin (Revelation 22:3). We will never have to fear the future again.
- The New Heaven and New Earth will be our eternal home (Revelation 21:1).
- Creation will be redeemed (Romans 8:21); God will live with us (Revelation 21:3).
Focusing on the assured promises about our future can bring us encouragement when life transitions are overwhelming.
Why Does This Matter?
Everyone experiences periods of transition, some of which are exciting, while others are stressful or painful. Regardless of which season of life you are entering, remember that God stays the same regardless of circumstances; he can use change to motivate spiritual growth. It is okay to grieve for past seasons, and you have the promise of a joy-filled eternity with Christ.
Dealing with life changes is inevitable, but we do not have to walk through them alone.
For further reading:
What Does it Mean ‘For Everything There Is a Season’?
How Should Christians Respond to Changing Seasons?
3 Truths That Christians Can Cling to in Confusing Seasons of Life
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