4 Things Every Christian Can Cling to as the Seasons Change

1. God Is Unchanging

Psalm 102: 25-27 says, "Of old you laid the foundation of the Earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you will remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away, but you are the same, and your years have no end." God remains. When all else fades, passes, grows up, or fails us, God remains. Sometimes, when everything else feels so unstable, this is the only truth that steadies us.

This truth is comforting because the Bible tells us who God is. He is a God of love, grace, mercy, truth, righteousness, comfort, holiness, justice, power, majesty, creativity, and the list goes on. In summary, God is good. We can rely on his goodness and mercy when we feel uneasy and in over our heads. Recite verses about the nature of God and his unfailing love as you muddle through to a new normal. Let his stable character anchor you in this unstable world.

2. God Hears Our Prayers

1 John 5:14 reports, "And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us." Our majestic God hears our prayers. He is personal, available, and interested in what we are walking through day in and day out.

When we can't understand the "why" for the changes in our lives, there is one place we can go to be heard. We can go to Jesus in prayer. He accepts our "why" questions just as we as parents love to answer those one million "why" questions our toddlers throw at us as their minds and bodies rapidly learn and develop. He is willing and able to comfort us, guide us, and show us his truth in a new way for the new season you are entering. The great invitation for us all when we face the unknown is to bring it all to the feet of Jesus. It is there that he gives us the chance to work out our faith with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12).

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3. God Made Us Communal Creatures

We need others to connect with who have walked through similar life circumstances. God made us to be communal creatures. Encouragement comes in the form of a real-life hug gifted from a friend who knows your same pain, worry, excitement, or failure. Galatians 6:2 says, "Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." God's kingdom is a big family that is called to bear each other's burdens.

I've found that when seasons change, your community often needs to expand or contract to match where God is leading you. When my husband and I married, we needed a few other young couples to be in our lives and help us on this new journey. When we became parents, I was desperate for other new moms to commiserate with. As we stepped out in faith to homeschool, we had to grow a village of other homeschooling families to spend time learning with. Now, as foster and adoptive parents, it's imperative we know others who are learning how to love well in this very special family dynamic.

Through each change, our community both expanded and contracted as needed so we could press on towards the goal God had impressed on our family's heart. It takes a village! When you face something new, grab the hand of whoever is closest and march forward with them by your side.

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4. The Best Is Yet to Come

Change can be exciting, such as getting married or welcoming a child in your home, but other times change is a product of loss. Grief is heavy and can almost feel all consuming but there is hope for the future. When we are followers of Jesus we can gain hope in the reality that the best is yet to come.

This chaos-ridden, dying, shifting, and broken world is not our forever home. Restoration is to come when we join the Saints and Angels in Heaven. This truth is not to diminish our real pain and loss but it offers hope that once again joy will fill our souls. Some injustices will not be righted until Heaven is our reality. Thankfully, we know we can count on God to bring justice in his timing and perfect way. We can trust that the best is yet to come.

As you move forward into something new, remember that God is faithful in every season. He offers purpose for our lives by his grace. Sometimes, we have to move forward and then take time to look back to see his goodness at work, even in the midst of the big shifts. We can trust that his timing is perfect and his plans for us are good.