Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
Romans 12:2 (NLT)
Without a doubt, change isn’t always an easy thing to embrace. While some seasons come bearing good tidings, others come in to shift and even annihilate everything that gives us comfort. It may not be such a fun part of life, but it’s one that we know will always be because, honestly though paradoxically, change is constant. Therefore, because we know life will throw us into the deep end at some point, the only wise thing to do is learn how to swim beforehand. So how can we handle change and seasons in a way that helps us manage the transition well? I’ll use an analogy for this one.
Traveling can be a fun experience! I enjoy it, especially when it’s with awesome company and involves new adventures. As you pack, you know where you’re going won’t be what you’re usually used to in its culture, weather, people, etc., but it will be its own kind of experience. As you pack our bags, you do soaccording to what’s necessary for the trip and avoid carrying too much luggage making it cumbersome to move around. Usually, that voice tells you how you need that trench coat because it may rain even though you’re going to the coast because “better safe than sorry.” Or you might have a special attachment to stuff you don’t need but prefer to have on you as you travel. Regardless, it’s a lot of things, and even buying more stuff along the way becomes challenging. You’ll have even more bags or may lack space for necessities you’d like because you carried stuff you don’t need. Right? Against every fiber in your being, you take only the essentials and hope that you’ll find what you’ll need up ahead since where you’re going is a civilization on its own and the people there survive somehow.
How does this ‘brief’ analogy relate to transitions in seasons?
#1: Acknowledge the constancy of change
As you begin the journey, you know it won’t be like home or whatever is familiar to you. You can be sure that along the way, stuff may happen that you didn’t plan for, and you may or may not be equipped to handle it, but that’s part of the adventure. How you handle a flat tire may not be the same way you manage a messed up car engine because they are handled differently in how much time it takes to sort out the issue, the money required, the expertise necessary, etc. This scenario may seem obvious,but denial in the human race often has a way of negatingcommon sense. Facts always seem apparent and part of life until we become the object in the story. When you understand and acknowledge that change will come, in whatever magnitude, it helps to make it a little easier to handle the transition when (not ‘if’) it comes.
#2: Learn the lessons
Along the way, you may find that challenges such as a flat tire, impossible traffic jams, and the company you have with youmay not always be the best and have the potential to ruin the experience completely. Rather than enjoy the stop as you change the tire, make conversation as you wait in traffic, and enjoy your music to avoid the obnoxious neighbor, you could be resentful towards the friend who tagged you along and wish you could be home instead.
More often than not, we remember the horrible things in a season more than the good, especially in seasons that were just outright nasty to you, and understandably so. However, the negative attitude towards that point in your life shouldn’t wholly blind you to the positive that may have been sprinkled in, as little as it may have been. In my personal experience, some lessons that can be learnt in seemingly tragic situations includethe value of close friendships which come through at the most critical times, the underrated importance of internal peace which keeps you sane when everything is falling apart, and the unrelenting love of God which holds us up especially when we can’t stand on our feet, literally and otherwise. Some lessons are only practical when coupled with personal life experience. It’s not usually ideal, but you can bet your life that you seldom forget what you learned from what you lived. Learn the most you can from past seasons to be better and wiser in the coming ones.
#3: Forgive the flaws
Along the journey, you may need to be sleeping at one place or another, and you can imagine what kind of hell it will be to be moving from one hotel to the other with so much luggage every time you get to a new town. It takes away from the experience and leaves you tired and overwhelmed. This struggle is what we have when we carry baggage through our transition to the next season, and unless you’re intentional about it, it will most definitely be a part of the journey. Baggage is always made up of negative emotions and attitudes and may manifest in bitterness, resentment, unforgiveness, shame, and guilt, among many others. Often, this baggage is heavy and unnecessary because it slows you down along the way. Harboring such negativity keeps us from learning the lessons from the past seasons and making room for new ones in the next. While baggage is bulky and must be let go of, lessons are compact and easier to tag. It may be easier said than done, but it’s necessary.
#4: Embrace the possibilities
New places have the potential to hold the most magical experiences if we’re open to it. Granted, the safety of the familiar is quite tempting. But without stepping deep, you’ll never know if you can swim or walk on water like Peter. Similarly, new seasons bring new experiences that may be frightening but could also be the most memorable, only if we open ourselves to them. When we step in having an open mind to the possibilities, we have many more opportunities to enjoy the adventure. But when you think of the comfort of the familiar, the past tragedy, the baggage you need to watch, and the possibility that it can all go up in flames, nothing will come of the new adventure. If anything, the stained lens through which you view the new experience will kill any chance of you enjoying the sun and smelling the roses.
Changes in seasons aren’t always easy to embrace because of the fear of the unknown compared to the comfort of the familiar. But the truth remains, you’ll never know unless you try!
