The Season of Change: How to Embrace the Never Ending Process of Change || Christian Advice

As I enter my senior year of college, I am being met with a lot of change. I don't know about you, but I have never been good with change. I still remember moving to my new town in 8th grade, and how I wanted to turn back time to be in my old town again. I wish I could be one of those people who love it! I mean my sister can't wait for something new to happen and when it does, she never dwells on the past. I'm the opposite. I wish for change in the present but when it comes, I long for yesterday.

Sheldon--always speaking words of wisdom.

This year, I have a lot of new beginnings. This is the first year I will be living alone. My friends won't even be living in the same building as me. All my friends from freshman year, one by one, have left my life. This might be a hyperbole, but I feel like I'm alone. (Yes, I will probably see my friends here and there but it won't be the same). My major has changed from English to Psychology (which is a separate load of fear and doubt), and I have no idea what career direction I am going to take.

I want to be Leslie Knope!!

However, I believe this is all with good reason. I need to be in this place. I know God has me here to learn and grow. But even with that knowledge, which honestly I have so much hope about, I still have fear and doubt. I mean, this is scary. And it will all start in a matter of days.



I know I'm not the only one who runs when things get hard, uncomfortable, and different. It's something I know I need to work on. It's something I am insecure about. I feel cowardly. I remember praying when I was younger, asking God to change my life. "Help me Lord, to escape this present situation." Who knew at the time, when things did change, I would pray for it to all go back. Especially since my family life was so difficult, you would think I wouldn't long for the old. But I guess once your stuck in a certain way, that becomes all you know and anything different is intimidating. There are new rules that you have to learn; new anxieties you never dealt with before.

So how do we embrace change?

Accept the new season/change and fix our perception. 

It's easier said than done but it's important. Accept wherever you are, and know that after you face your situation head on, it will be a blessing. Also remind yourself that this won't be the last time you are going to be met with change. Life is all about change. You'll move to new towns, get a new job, and meet new people.

"Remember this when facing anxiety"

We need to think of our new seasons as opportunities. Walking through it, will be easier if we see it as being beneficial.

I was actually watching a sermon where a pastor was speaking about how things need to get uncomfortable for things to become a blessing. Growth happens when things are uncomfortable. I want to embrace that. I want to embrace "the uncomfortable" in my life. I want to own all my uncertainties, because I trust in a God of certainty. God is unchanging and always stable. Just because the tides of life move me in different directions, doesn't mean He does.

Remember who God is and His promises.

Our fears, doubts, and anxieties are that of the enemy. The enemy wants to see us fail because when we embrace "the uncomfortable" place God places us in, we will grow, making it more difficult for the enemy to take us down. God doesn't want us to be stuck in our present situation. He has big plans for our lives which only happens if we embrace change.



Look at all the people in the Bible. Every one of them was ordinary and living a life they knew so well. But God called them out, told them to get up, follow Him, and He made them into something they never would have imagined. David was a shepherd, but God called him to be a King. And look at Moses. He was a normal man, and God called him to set the Israelites free. Can you imagine? Going back to a land where you're a wanted man, and convincing a pharaoh to let all the Israelites go? I mean talk about being uncomfortable. Talk about change.

Their situations and outcomes affirm this: God is faithful. God brought them through the difficult and uncomfortable seasons, and did amazing things through them. Also, God is unchanging. Our situations may change, but He doesn't.

Make little changes that take you out of your comfort zone.

I'm learning that little changes matter and can help with the bigger ones. Sometimes it's difficult for me to make new friends or to even make small talk with someone. But lately, I've been making more of an effort. It's uncomfortable and terribly awkward, but I'm doing it. It's been teaching me how to communicate with other people. Also, I'm trying to be more honest and authentic, which is so beyond my comfort zone. I'm so used to putting on a front, but I'm challenging myself to change.

It may seem so minor in the grand scheme of things, but when those new seasons come along, the minor changes will help. It'll help us get used to being uncomfortable and out of our comfort zones. Being more talkative and honest will help me build authentic relationships, and help me in this new season where I need to make new friends.

This is probably a lame example of me stepping out of my comfort zone, but I killed a couple of spiders this summer. I am terrified of them and I never thought I would ever have the courage to even kill them. I mean no offense to spiders, but they're so gross and creepy.

One day I was sitting alone in my bedroom and one of those jumpy spiders was crawling on the floor. First I screamed and curled up on my bed. After a few moments of terror, I prayed, asking God for strength, and vacuumed the spider up. It might silly to some, but it was a big step for me. Before that day, I would've stayed curled up on my bed waiting for someone to return home to kill it. Or I would have never stepped foot in my room again. I mean I still call my dad when he's home to kill the spiders, BUT now if I need to kill them, I can. In a small way, it taught me that I need to be able to take care of myself.


So challenge yourself. What are some things that terrify you? What are some things you probably never would have done before?

Don't you wish you had a Rafiki in your life? 

As cliche as it is, the best things happen when we are taken out of our comfort zones. Incredible things occur in new seasons. I want to challenge myself, I want to challenge you to embrace change. God puts us through difficult things only to give us an abundance. Welcome the uncertainty and uncomfortable seasons, because the reward after it, will be life-changing.


"For you, God tested us; you refined us like silver. You brought us into prison and laid burdens on our backs. You let people ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance." ~ Psalm 66:10-12


Are you entering a new season in your life?