If you read my blog post from a few months ago, you’ll recall that summer is my favorite season… so the end of summer always comes too soon for me and brings with it a sense of dread. The weather changes (and I inevitably get sick), the leaves decay and fall, and now I can’t go on my decompression walks.
But I don’t dislike fall at all. There are still many fun things to look forward to—pumpkin patches, farm markets, and apple cider are among my favorites. I think the changing of seasons is actually the perfect representation of how when things change in our own lives—when a chapter ends and a new one begins—it can be hard to let go of the things we’ve loved or appreciated about that season in order to make room for the new things God has in store.
He is always at work bringing about new beginnings. He specializes in taking what’s been lost and restoring it into something beautiful if we choose to let Him. We have to trust Him to guide us through transitions and believe that His plans for us are good, no matter what. This isn’t always easy. Sometimes it’s very, very hard. Ruth, for example, probably never expected to lose her husband. She had to pick up the pieces and adjust to a whole new life, and that wasn’t a quick or painless process. But God had plans for her she never could have imagined—to be the great grandmother of King David and ultimately an ancestor of the Messiah. God used her as a part of His greater purposes because she chose to lean on Him through a devastating loss and be open to what He had for her next.
He specializes in taking what’s been lost and restoring it into something beautiful if we choose to let Him.
Maybe you’re experiencing something similar. Whether you’ve endured a tragedy like losing someone you love, or you’re simply adjusting to a new season of life after graduating high school or college, it’s normal to mourn things about your previous season and dread the unknown about the next one. But if you have Jesus as your Savior, you also have Him as your guide—the Lord of your life. His plans for you are better than anything you could imagine, so you don’t need to fear the future.
Believing this truth in your head and being able to experience actual peace because of it are two different things. We have to practice submitting to God’s will and having faith that He will carry us through times of uncertainty and even overpowering grief. Fortunately, He doesn’t ask us to figure everything out on our own or put a time limit on how long we’re allowed to be lost. He just asks us to say “yes” to trusting Him so we can receive His comfort and so that, in time, He can reveal His next plans and purposes.
So if you’re experiencing grief, struggling with the end of an era, big or small, or fearing the unknown of the future, start by taking a breath and saying, “I trust You.” He won’t give you the roadmap, but He will give you the grace to lean on Him and leave tomorrow in His hands. And over time you will start to see the fallen leaves of your life as signs of hope for the new season before you. A season that will bring new opportunities for you to glorify God and thank Him for the things He’s taught you along the way.
