Navigating Change: Embracing the Seasons of Transition in Your Life

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Seasons of transition are challenging at the best of times, even if the change is ultimately for our good, we still experience loss as we transition through different seasons of life. The whole world has been experiencing change for Milania now, and as we look at the world around us, change seems to be becoming more and more frequent and widespread. As someone born in what the kids call the “1900s,” I am part of a generation that has watched the world change so fast that it is often hard to keep up. I may be dating myself here, but I remember a time before smartphones when the closest thing we had to a streaming service was Blockbuster, and laptops were just coming onto the market. I remember a world where airports didn’t have security lines or screenings and where housing was much easier to attain. On the other hand, we have made huge advances and understand more about technology, human DNA and the brain than ever before. Yet, through all these transitions, through the ebbs and flows of life and even though many would argue that the changes we sometimes face can be beneficial, there is often still real loss felt. It may not be recognised or expressed because it is either too small to register in our conscious minds or we have been taught not to, as these changes have been good for us on either micro or macro levels, and expressing any kind of grief or sadness is considered ungrateful or negative.

It is sometimes easier to recognise these losses on a personal level, but even then, expressing that we are sad about a decision or situation we have caused/chosen can leave us with onlookers confused or even dismissive of our grief and pain in the mists of change. Whether that be choosing to leave a job/career, moving, leaving a community group to find a better fit, ending relationships of any kind, the list goes on. All of these choices, even if they are ultimately for our own or families’ best interest, can still be painful. They still incur a transition period, and with that comes grief and loss that needs to be sat with and processed. It’s important in these times to be kind to ourselves, be full of self-compassion, and have compassion for those affected around us.

Digging deeper, for those of us who have committed to being followers of Jesus, there will likely be times when we are asked, convicted or compelled to surrender our will for His, to make a move that might uproot our families, say goodbye to a relationship that is not for us or start something much bigger than we can handle on our own. Those who have followed through and done this will tell you how worthwhile this is, that God truly does provide. They will tell you stories of how God came through and that they wouldn’t have done it any other way, and we love hearing these testimonies they fill us with hope and awe in our God, which is a good thing. Yet, how often do we take the time to be still enough to notice that sometimes, even when we know we are making the most loving decision and doing the right thing, when we’re being obedient to the call, there is still a cost still loss in some form, and a need to grieve. Do we recognise that God knows this and makes space for us to be able to do this as part of His plan? It’s okay to make the right decision and still be sad about it.

My favourite biblical example of this is the story of Abraham, Hagar, and Ishmael, found in Genesis 21 I encourage you to read the whole story for yourselves. As a quick summary, Ishmael is Hagar and Abraham’s child. Hagar was Sarah’s (Abraham’s Wife) slave, and because both Sarah and Abraham doubted that God would come through on His promise to give them a son, they found a way to fulfil the promise from their own hands rather than wait and trust that God would come through. The way they went about this was to get Hagar to sleep with Abraham so that she would be able to give Abraham the son “God” had promised.

How often do we try to fulfil the Lord’s promises to us instead of trusting that He will come through when the time is right? I so relate to these two. I myself have tried to fulfil God’s promises through my own hands;

AI depiction of Abraham and Ishmael

I’m sure we all have in some way or another.

Anyway, as you can imagine, this worked out so well for them; it was all fun and games until God fulfilled His promise, and Sarah fell pregnant with a son, just as God said she would. This caused problems between the two brothers, and long story short, Sarah demanded that Abraham send Hagar and Ishmael away. Abraham protested, but God said the same thing. It can be so easy for us to look at this story and interject our own point of view, but I invite you to leave that to the side for now and consider the pain Abraham experienced. He had been intimate with Hagar, and this was his son, his flesh and blood. He had held this baby in his arms, invested 12 years of time, energy and love into this little boy, and now he had to send him away without knowing where they would go or what would happen to him. That’s a big ask and a huge loss for Abraham, yet it was the right thing to do. So Abraham did just that: he loaded Hagar with water and food and sent them away, trusting that God would take care of them. Even though he didn’t like the situation, Abraham accepted that this was the reality of his situation and trusted the directions God had given Him.

There is a huge lesson on the redemption and faithfulness of God in this story, how He doesn’t leave us to face the transitions in life alone, that we can lean on and into Him as we process and grieve. I am constantly in awe of the way that God took care of the whole situation, of the mess that Abraham and Sarah created through their laps of faith and how God used this situation to show Abraham that He is trustworthy, building in him the faith to follow through again when God asked him to sacrifice Issac the fulfilment of the promise. (read about it in Genesis 22.)

Friend, I’m not sure what transition or life change you’re facing right now, but what I do know is that no matter what it is or what brought this situation about, I know that transitioning through the different changes and seasons of life is often hard, and sometimes it downright sucks but there is space to grieve these losses no matter the size or shape of them, or whether other people deem them important or not. It is not just okay but necessary to take time out and process, but most importantly, no matter the situation, we never have to go through it alone, God is with us, sees us and knows our every need He will guide us every step of the way. You can lean on Him.

I hope you've enjoyed reading this blog, if you find yourself in a season of transition and navigating change is something you find challenging, I encourage you to reach out by sending us an email or booking a discovery call (psst it's free), we are more than happy to help coach you through this season. Alternatively, why not contact us about our next retreat experience, where real change and transformation happen? We so look forward to hearing from you, until then, let's continue to testify.

Blessings

Leila