Changing Seasons
Picture this… You step outside expecting to feel the heat of the summer sun on your brow. Instead, relief… a cool, refreshing breeze hits you, a clear sign that fall is coming. You look around to see the trees changing from green to vibrant shades of red, orange, and yellow. Some leaves are starting to fall, collecting on roads and lawns. You see people raking and bagging leaves to protect their yards. Yet, you spot something completely out of the norm.
Instead of throwing away the fallen leaves, you see one of your obsessive-compulsive neighbors attempting to glue them back to the tree branches, hoping the fallen leaves will magically re-attach themselves and last through the next season. You might think your neighbor is having a manic episode. Why on earth would anyone try to hold on to something dead? As crazy as it sounds, it’s comparable to how many of us handle changing seasons in life.
While the fall season has yet to come, June has been a month of shift for me. In the past four weeks, I’ve been through an emotional whirlwind. I broke my favorite pair of sunglasses. My favorite gym suddenly stopped offering childcare. My job manager, who took a chance on hiring me, was fired. Some friendships that I was sure would last a lifetime have grown distant.
My initial reaction to it all was the mirror image of the obsessive-compulsive neighbor attempting to glue dead leaves back to trees. I tried to hot glue the sunglasses back together. I briefly considered paying extra to hire a babysitter while still keeping my favorite gym membership. I assumed my old manager would walk through the door at any moment, and I’d reconcile with my old friends. Until it hit me… the seasons are changing.
Changing seasons often means the old must die before the new can grow. Dead leaves fall from trees to make space for new leaves to sprout in the spring, just as God prunes us to prepare us for what’s to come. While it can be painful to let familiar people, places, and things go, it’s necessary to surrender to our Heavenly Father’s intentional shift.
How to handle changing seasons
Let Go
To surrender to a changing season is to accept the change. The longer you hold onto what’s comfortable, the more pain you’ll endure. In my case, that meant accepting my sunglasses were irreparable, canceling my favorite gym membership, bidding farewell to my former manager, and pulling away from old friendships. If God has given you signs that the time has expired on a particular season, it’s best to submit to His will.
To better understand how to handle changing seasons, we’re going to dig into Samuel’s story in the bible. Samuel was a pivotal figure who served as a prophet, priest, and judge. Saul was the first king of Israel whom Samuel anointed. Soon thereafter, Saul repeatedly rebelled, eventually leading to God stripping him of his title.
“I will not return with you, for you have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel. And as Samuel turned around to go away, Saul seized the edge of his robe, and it tore.”(1 Samuel 15: 26-27)
Despite Saul's pleading with him, Samuel never fought against what God had spoken. While he grieved the loss, he stood firm on his stance to let go of the once-anointed king of Israel.
Grieve Properly
Changing seasons is downright painful. It’s completely normal to feel a wide range of emotions over losing people, places, and things you once loved. I’m not afraid to admit I shed a few tears over my broken sunglasses, the loss of my gym membership, my former manager, and my old friends. Nonetheless, God can’t heal what you won’t reveal. When you allow yourself to be vulnerable with Him, He’ll make space for your emotions, comforting you in your grief.
According to the bible, Samuel felt immense grief when God rejected Saul as king of Israel. However, he didn’t bury his emotions; he allowed himself to feel the sadness.
“...and it grieved Samuel, and he cried out to the Lord all night.” (1 Samuel 15: 11)
“And Samuel went no more to see Saul until the day of his death. Nevertheless, Samuel mourned for Saul…” (1 Samuel 15: 35)
Samuel understood the importance of grieving properly before changing seasons. He probably found himself cycling through all five stages of the process: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and eventually acceptance.
Forgive Wholeheartedly
If you don’t allow yourself to work through all stages of grief, it’s easy to let your anger turn to bitterness and resentment. I know I’ve been tempted to hold a grudge against people whom God purposely removed from my life. While they may have been destined for one season, I’d harbor unforgiveness against them because they couldn’t transition into the next. Sometimes I’d even struggle to forgive myself for holding on too long.
“Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord? Why did you swoop down on the spoil, and do evil in the sight of the Lord?”(1 Samuel 15: 19)
I can only imagine what Samuel must have been feeling when he questioned Saul for turning away from God. It’s clear he was disappointed in the former King of Israel. In one season, Samuel anointed Saul, in another, he announced God’s rejection of him. Yet still, he didn’t allow his anger with Saul to turn to unforgiveness.
“…be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:32)
God calls us to be “tenderhearted, forgiving one another.” Just because people leave your life doesn’t mean you have to hate them. Forgive them, forgive yourself, and don’t carry unforgiveness into your next season.
Move Forward
The end of a season means a bigger and better beginning is around the corner. Throwing away my broken sunglasses means it’s time to buy a new stylish pair. Canceling my gym membership means finding a better gym that will serve my needs as a single mom. Accepting the loss of my former manager means embracing growth with a new boss. Releasing old friendships means I’m making space for healthier and God-centered relationships to enter my life.
“Now the Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go; I am sending you to Jesse the Bethlehemite. For I have provided myself a king among his sons.” (1 Samuel 16: 1)
Samuel struggled to imagine life beyond Saul’s reign as king of Israel, but God saw the big picture. He commanded Samuel to move on from Saul and later anointed David as the new king of Israel. Despite his flaws, David’s reign was marked by military victories, expansion of the kingdom, and God’s favor.
What’s the moral of Samuel’s story? When you sense the seasons are changing, let go, grieve properly, forgive wholeheartedly, and press forward to the blessings that lie ahead.
Sincerely,
The Saved Single Mommy
Do you want to choose Jesus as Lord and Savior of your life?
Pray this prayer;
Dear Lord Jesus,
Thank you for dying on the cross for my sin.
Please forgive me.
Come into my life.
I receive You as my Lord and Savior.
Now, help me to live for you the rest of this life.
In the name of Jesus, I pray.
Amen.
