Just like how we are transitioning from winter to spring season, I’m sure we all are navigating some transition in our lives. It can be moving to a new state, getting married, buying a new home, buying a new car, or joining a new job. There is usually excitement when we transition from one season to another, but there is also sadness about letting go of some of the good things from the previous season.
I have also navigated through transitions in my life as I moved from California to Nashville for my job a few months ago. These are some of the lessons I’m learning as I went through and going through transitions in my life:
1) New season can bring fear
I recently purchased a new car, and one of the things I experienced was “fear.” I know it sounds weird, but should I not be excited when I buy a new car? I was going through fear because I had some learning to do with the new car because I had my old car for over 12 years. It is normal to be fearful when things are not familiar. The more I started to learn about the new car, the more I started to feel comfortable, and it took just a few times of driving to feel confident.
2) New season can bring excitement and sadness
On the day I had to give up my old car, I experienced excitement and also sadness. That’s again weird, right? Should I not be happy that I’m giving away the old car so I can drive the new car? I think we get attached to things or people in our old seasons, so even if it’s a good change, we usually experience some type of sadness, which is ok.
3) New season will require some adjusting
As I started to drive my new car, I realized that the tech stuff had changed a lot, and I needed to get used to the new technology. I know I sound old, but things have changed a lot in cars compared to how it was 12 years ago. These are very helpful technology changes, but they require some learning on my end. When heading into a new season, we need to give ourselves some grace to adjust to the new environment.
4) New season will bring joy
After I drove the new car for a few days, I started to feel more confident. Once I became more confident, I was excited to drive the car. When we are in a new season, it is important to be patient and give ourselves some time to start enjoying the new experiences.
I know this example is just about a new car, but these are applicable even when we transition from one season to another in other areas of our lives. It is easy to focus on the good things in the old season and miss to enjoy the current season. I was reminded of the Israelites who kept looking back to Egypt when they went through some suffering along the way to their new season. Even though God was taking them to a better place, the Israelites didn’t like the transition period from the old season to the new season. According to “Numbers 11:4-6, “Now the rabble who were among them had greedy cravings; and the sons of Israel also wept again and said, “Who will give us meat to eat? We remember the fish that we used to eat for free in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic, but now our appetite is gone. There is nothing at all to look at except this manna!” (New American Standard Bible).
It is ok to grieve those old season memories, but we must move forward to what God has for us in this season. We have so many things to experience in this new season. One thing we can be sure of is that God will walk with us in whichever season we are in.
According to Isaiah 43: 18-19, “Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it; I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert” (New American Standard Bible).
