Embracing Change

I love the fall. Being from New York, my internal clock longs for fall right about now. Oh how I miss the leaves changing colors, the feel and smell of the crisp cool air, and of course every girl’s favorite time of year – BOOT WEATHER!!! I cringe inwardly when I step out into 95 degree weather and the thick humidity and blazing sun bring me back to reality…. My soul longs for all I once knew. So what’s an ex-NY girl to do? FALL DECOR of course! Since I can’t enjoy the Fall outside, I’ve learned to decorate for the season and make my own little “fall oasis” inside my home. Sharing with you a few pics of some fall decor I had fun putting together. Now, I can hug a mug of pumpkin spice latte with extra whip cream and pretend that it’s actually fall here! Ahh…the little things in life!

As fall approaches, I find it funny that I hear God speaking to me about the seasonal changes we go through in our personal lives too.  God often uses things in the natural to teach us what’s happening in the spirit, doesn’t He? The truth is, life doesn’t stay the same. We go through different seasons in our lives. Sometimes the new season is difficult. It can be learning how to live after the loss of a loved one. Maybe it’s becoming an empty nester or even retiring. These changes often leave us wondering, “What now????”  Sometimes the changing of seasons can be exciting. Things like becoming a parent, or getting married, or even starting a new career are changes we look forward to. But, even these wonderful things bring challenges. Change is never easy. If left to our own, we’d probably always stay in our comfort zones, but then, we’d become stagnant, we wouldn’t grow, and we wouldn’t experience the things God has for us in the next season of our lives. Think of this…the Bible says that our life is but a vapor. In the grand scheme of things, life truly is short, and yet; the time we have here on earth has great purpose. God wants us to live EVERY single season of our lives to the fullest.

Often, we may be tempted to rebel against change. Most times probably. Sure, we can stomp our feet in protest through the change that is inevitable, or we can open our hearts to what God has for us in the next season of life. It brings strength and comfort to remember that we’re NEVER alone. God walks with us through every moment of our life. That gives me comfort. And not only is God always with us, guess what? God is good ALL the time!!  He has a plan for our lives in every season and it’s good because He is good. (Jeremiah 29:11 , Romans 8:28) Even when things look bad and don’t make sense to us, God is there and He promises to work all things together for good to those who love him… When I meditate on this, it lifts the heaviness from my soul and brings great hope.

I began homeschool a few weeks ago. If you know me, I’ve been homeschooling my boys since they were 4 years old. It’s something Rob and I planned together even before we had children. This was our heart’s desire and it’s been a joy to be able to teach them all these years. The thing is, this is their last year of high school. They’ll be graduating at ages 15 and 16 at the end of this school year. We’ve worked, learned and played hard together these last 12 years. I wouldn’t trade a minute of it, even with the challenges home school can bring, Honestly, I don’t want it to come to an end. Even as I type this, my eyes fill with tears. This season in my life is coming to an end. Change is hard. …It’s hard to let go …and I’m embarrassed to say I’ve shed some tears over it recently.  Uggh… I know, I’m being dramatic, but it’s how I feel. Rationally, I know they’re still young, and I’m still their mom and always will be…but things are changing and I have to embrace it. They’re becoming men and God has exciting plans for their lives in this next season. And…in the midst of my inner struggle, God reminds me, He has a plan for my life in this next season too.

I believe God always prepares us for the next season.  Sometimes what worked for us in one season isn’t working anymore. Sometimes the grace is lifted from us, and God is nudging us to let go of the old so we can step into the new that He has for us. Often what was good and worked for us in last season, just doesn’t work anymore. It’s not that what we were doing or walking in was bad, it was just for that season and God wants us to let go so we can embrace the new thing He’s doing in our lives. This is God’s goodness. It may feel uncomfortable, but He’s transitioning us for the next season.  If you feel like the grace has lifted or things require so much more effort lately, He’s probably nudging you and preparing you for the next season of your life.

Whenever the season of our life changes it’s normal to ask what now??? We don’t always have the answer, but know this, God always has a plan. He knows the end from the beginning. If you’re like me, you want to figure out everything. I want to know the plan, I want a checklist, I want a timeline, and I want to roll up my sleeves and get ‘er done! It’s hard for me to not know. I feel kind of helpless. But you know what? I think that’s the point. When we don’t know, and we can’t do things in our own strength, then we’re in the perfect place for our dependence to be on God; To hear what God has for us. To follow His leading. To step into something, we probably wouldn’t have planned in the first place, because His ways are soooo much higher than ours….

As I was feeling kind of helpless the other day, wanting to know all the details… I heard the Lord say, “Just focus on loving what I love Jill.” I love when God says something and your whole being understands the depth of what God means. We can focus so much on what we should do or shouldn’t do, how things are going to work out and how we can make it happen, can’t we?   But the truth is, the BIG picture is that our lives exist to glorify God. Yes, God has specific plans for each one us, and He, God all by Himself, will work them out and bring them to pass…but just imagine how simple would life be if we just focused on loving what God loves and letting Him handle the rest? How much would we see things fall into place around us and in our lives, if that was our heart’s pursuit. If we would just say each morning we woke, “I’m just gonna love what God loves today.” I thought of some things God loves…. God loves people; the whole world in fact. God loves righteousness. God loves a cheerful giver. God loves His son Jesus. Hey those are some beautiful things to love and pursue.

I pray that whatever season of life you’re in or about to enter, you’re reminded of these truths and hold on tight to the ONE who orders your steps. You’re not alone. God is with you every step of the way and He is good. He’ll unfold His goodness in your life no matter what season you’re in. So as the southern girl I’ve now become,  I say to you…Happy Fall Y’all and also Happy NEW seasons in your life!

For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord will give grace and glory; no good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly.

Psalm 84:11