New Seasons
by Ed Sweeny
“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.
See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness, and streams in the wasteland.”
Isaiah 43:18-19
The summer season is in full swing these days. The temperature is regularly in the 90’s, my grass is starting to brown and dry up, and scattered showers are starting to move in around 4:00pm most afternoons. No surprise. It happens every July. But whether you like it or not, summer will soon be over. In just a few weeks…Lord willing…school will start back up, college football games will kick off, and fall weather will be just around the corner.
I once heard it said that “the only thing for certain is that nothing stays the same.” I think that’s mostly true. Thankfully, seasons do change. Summer will soon give way to fall…and before we know it, we will find ourselves longing for spring to return again.
Life tends to work the same way. Seasons change as time passes. Babies start walking, young children start going to school, teenagers start driving, and then leave home for college, eventually starting new families of their own. We leave one job and find another. We move to new and different towns. Sometimes we endure divorce, or the loss of a child. Broken relationships, especially with close friends and family, can change the season quite quickly. We cannot avoid change or transition, as much as we may try.
Most of us do all we can to avoid change. We fear the unknown and the uncomfortable, so we cling desperately to what is familiar. It’s easy to think that we can control or manage our lives if we just keep it between the lines and play it safe. That may work for a season, but remember…the only thing for certain is that nothing stays the same. Seasons always change.
For followers of Christ, there is freedom to embrace change with excitement and trust. The only thing that never changes is God Himself. What a blessing to know the ONE who remains constant through every hour and every circumstance. You are tethered to the ONE who knows all, sees all, and reigns supreme over all. Regardless of your situation, in any given moment of your life, here are the facts…God knows what is happening, He is in control of the outcome, and He is always good. ALWAYS GOOD.
When life requires change, here are 3 truths to remember (and a few scriptures to cling to) that will help you navigate change and handle transition well as the Lord moves you into a new season.
1. God remains the same. Life happens. Things change. We can’t predict it, control it, or stop it. God says quite clearly in Malachi 3:6…”I the Lord do not change.” The author of Hebrews 13:8 says that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” This FACT is really all we need to know as we walk in faith through the uncertainty and ambiguity of transition.
2. You are growing in faith and spiritual maturity. Be encouraged! God is doing a great work in you when He allows you to go though a change of seasons. In Isaiah 43:18-19, God encourages us to “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” In Romans 5:3-5, Paul teaches that changing seasons will always produce the fruit of hope in us…but only when we walk in faith through each necessary step… “suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.”
3. God is preparing you for the next season…and ultimately, the final one! Moving through change and transition will always result in a new season and new opportunities to grow and walk in faith. This is what you were created for - it’s what life is all about! You can trust and have complete confidence in the ONE “who is able to do immeasurably more than all we can ask or imagine” (Ephesians 3:20). And you can be sure that God has more to teach you in this unknown season that lies ahead.
Ultimately, God is leading us through changes of seasons to teach us to walk by faith (2 Corinthians 5:7), to make us more like Him, and to prepare us for eternal life with Him one day in the new creation that is coming. Let’s end here, where the story that God is telling in the Bible ends. God’s promise to you is this:
Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. He who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new!” (Revelation 21:3-5)
Let’s encourage one another to walk in faith, hope, and love as we move through changes and transitions in our lives. Look around you today. Who has God placed in your life to walk with you right now? Be intentional to pursue those people, take time to deepen your relationships, and remind one another of God’s promise to never leave you or forsake you.