When Your Seasons Change

Every year around the end of August I personally celebrate one of the greatest holidays of the year. Yes, that time of year means that there is football coming. Yes, that time of year means that the temperature is going to start cooling down. Yes, that also means kids are back in school. However, the holiday that I celebrate is the beginning of Pumpkin Spice Latte season. Yes, that is a real holiday! For those of us who appreciate the finer things in life, there are few things that taste as good as that first sip of a Pumpkin Spice Latte. One of the things that I experience every time I get my first latte is a reminder that the seasons are changing. It is no small thing to observe the way in which time passes faster than we are typically prepared for. Every time I get in line for that first drink, I am reminded of all the things that are coming to pass. Things that I had been praying for, worried about, or just dreaming of. When the seasons change, we can often face those changes with a mixed array of reactions. Today, I want to offer you some Biblical counsel on how to handle those changes.

1.     Understand that while seasons change, God doesn’t.

James 1 tells us that the is “no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” with God. This is a fact that remains even though we face changes all of the time. As a matter of fact, it is this truth that can offer us stability during the seasons. When we face the changing of seasons, we can do so understanding God will always be the same. Your season of change could be a new job, a new city, the end of a parenting phase, or tons of other seasons. However, none of those seasons are going to change who God is. We understand that throughout the Bible God is our provider. That continues to be true even when a job ends or begins. We understand that God is our comforter. This is true no matter where find ourselves. Acts 1:7 gives us a window into how seasons work. While it would be nice to know what tomorrow brings, we do not know. However, we can take comfort in the fact that the God who does not change, is the one who holds tomorrow.

2.     Don’t hold too tightly to the season that is coming to a close.

There are times when the season of life we are in begins to change, and we subsequently try to hold on as tight as possible to the season that we are in. This reaction is often based on fear of the unknown, an unwillingness to change, or even an emotional attachment to this current season. However, if we as people stay in a season God is bringing to a close, we can rob ourselves of being inside of God’s perfect will for our lives. Paul who wrote so many pieces of the New Testament is a great example of someone who started a church, got it to a healthy place, and then went somewhere else to begin a new work. He of course stayed in contact with the people he had worked with, but he didn’t hold on too tightly. If I could encourage you today on this topic, it would be with a cliché. Let go, and Let God. You and I are not powerful enough to change the season. If your season is coming to an end, embrace it gracefully and go into the next season with your full focus and excitement!

3.     Reminisce, but don’t regret! 

As I look back personally on the seasons of my life that have now passed, I have some great memories. There are great things that I’ve learned, seen, or experienced. However, it can be a real temptation to make an idol out of our past seasons. This is just like what the Israelites experienced with Samuel. During a new season of life, they faced the temptation to make an idol out of a past time in their lives. For them, it was the season where they had a king. They actually wanted to take a step backward because of how they viewed their current season. This is the same thing that we see the nation of Israel do when they are leaving Egypt. When they are walking through the desert they have the courage or lack of faith to actually say that they wanted to return back to Egypt. This lack of faith could have led them backward and out of the center of God’s will for their lives. They could have missed out on the promised land if they gave into the temptation to work backward into a past season. I am convinced that we can easily make the mistake of looking back, and thinking that the seasons we were in previously were better than they were, or that they were meant to last forever. Let me caution you! There is a reason God has you where he has, in the time he has you there. Embrace the season you are in today, and understand that God is at work even now!

4.     Face the new season with your full force

In Luke 24 we see the account of how the disciples are handing Jesus death. The scene there tells us that they were gathered up, talking about what had happened. We know, looking back that Jesus had told them exactly what would happen, and how they should handle it. However, knowing the plan and living in obedience to the plan are two different things. At the end of this interaction, Jesus reminds them of the plan and then ascends into heaven. If you are facing a new season, and you know what that new season holds, enter into that season with everything you have! We find out later on in scripture that as the disciples spread out, according to the plan, they began the church movement that impacted the entire region. My hope and prayer for you is that when you know what season God is calling you into, you will be able to leave the past season and give this new season your best shot.

PS. Grab a pumpkin spice latte this week, and embrace the season God has you in!