the changing of seasons and what it teaches us

It seems like, in human nature, one of the hardest things we've ever had to deal with is change. Every time we are taken away from our comfort, our natural instinct is to desperately hold on to that thing we feel completes us, our entire being. All of these to say that seasons do change. In one way or another, going through periods of uncertainty, emptiness and brokenness only leads us to a better understanding of what remains certain and unchanging through it all. 

Humanly speaking, I cannot think of a foolproof way to deal with the changing seasons in life because of the inevitable pain, anxiety and fear that sometimes come along with it, but I looked up these verses in the Bible that fortunately helped me come up with this post. It has encouraged me, I hope it does for you too.
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For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland. - isaiah 43:19

Many times, change can be like entering an unknown territory, stepping into the dark or walking in the wilderness — and believe it or not, while those complexities give way for us to feel weakened to our knees, it is exactly in those moments in life that God reminds us of His sovereignty over things we are not in control of. More often than not, the reason why we hate change is because we blindly try to place God in a box, making our ideas His ideas, our solutions His solutions where in reality, God always has His own majestic ways of bringing forth change in our lives not to break us, but to mold us to be more and more like Christ. 

​There are some things that we will just have to entrust to Him fully confident that He knows what's best, and as Taya Smith of Hillsong puts it, our very best just  happens to be His good. 
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For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. - ecclesiastes 3:1 

This verse teaches us that we cannot keep on trying to repair things that God would want to replace. Even when it hurts, even when we can't see, even when we think it isn't time yet, if God feels the need to reshape areas of your life that would all the more bring glory to Him, He will do just as He pleases.  There are certainly seasons in life that we aren't always ready to dive into, but we are called to obey His leading anyways. The next new season of your life may look differently than the previous one, some of the best people wouldn't necessarily be in that next chapter, but God makes all things new and beautiful if you allow Him to.

​This one, I've learned and am currently learning the hard way, but maybe God wants me to upgrade this version of myself rather than sticking to the outdated, rusty version of me, and so I am leaving it up to Him to work on my life just as He sees fit.
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​“I am the LORD, and I do not change. That is why you descendants of Jacob are not already destroyed. - malachi 3:6

Amidst all the changing of seasons, one thing is for sure: The God who brought the Israelites out of Egypt (despite their nagging and complaining) is still the same God we can trust and look to today. He's still the same God who will overwhelm all of the things that seem to overwhelm you right now. For sure all of the change that's happening may look dreary and tiring— exhausting even, but let us never forget that we have someone overseeing everything. Take to heart the image of God in Isaiah's vision where the angels, in full reverence, were screaming "Holy, Holy, Holy", that even the foundations of the temple shook and was filled with smoke. I mean, what in the world! That same God is watching over me right now?!

​It's only when we know the fullness of God's nature as our unchanging Father that we can withstand even the most painful of changes.
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We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf.  - hebrews 6:19-20A​

Knowing how seasons change abruptly sometimes even beyond our expectations, it is worth understanding why we cannot simply hook our life's purpose on things we merely see around —  our career, academics or even our ministry. At the end of the day, you cannot love something too much that you forget who your first love is because if you do, girl (or boy), you'll be all over the place broken and messed up once the world takes a turn. Been there, done that.  ​If it weren't for the assurance of the hope I have in Jesus, I for sure will not be writing any of these words that you are reading right now.  On another note, not to console you but to inspire you, Jesus has also encountered a lot of changes in His life. He was even betrayed by Judas Iscariot who He regarded as a friend! He's been through changes Himself, but He has withstood all those to the point of dying on the cross only to fulfill God's master plan for you and for me. 

A little life update from where I am based, summer is fast approaching and as much as I would love for it to be winter forever, I cannot simply hold on to it, because I know that every season comes with its own series of joys and lessons to be learned. All that to say that God is still good despite the odds. The waves will rise and when it falls, I still want to find myself tightly hooked on my anchor, the author and finisher of my faith ​— Jesus.