Unexpected Transitions

We’ve been on the topic ‘Transitioning seasons’ for a couple of weeks now here on Arise Sister. We’ve explored how important it is to trust God during every season and listen to his directives as we navigate through. We’ve also established how important it is to learn the lessons laid out in a particular season before moving on to the next.

Sometimes however, we find ourselves suddenly thrust into a new season of life that we’re totally unprepared for. When something sudden and unpredictable happens and we find ourselves inevitably in this new season with no idea how to go about it.

Sometimes these could be happenings totally out of our control like a sudden loss of a loved one, betrayal from a friend, a huge business loss or it could be a consequence of our actions like an unexpected pregnancy. No matter what the situation is, navigating these unplanned transitions in life is never easy.

I found myself in such a predicament about 4years ago when out of the blue I lost my mum in the most sudden and unexpected way. I was immediately cast into a new season of grief and heartbreak that I had no idea how to navigate.

You may be in such a position right now. You may have lost a friendship or you may have made a mistake and now you have to live with the permanent consequences.

The good news is nothing is unexpected to God. What hit us suddenly isn’t sudden to him. He knows everything and holds everything including us, our situations and even our mess-ups in his hands.

So if you find yourself having to transition into an unexpected season of life, here are a few points to consider

 Take it One Day at a Time

Sudden changes most times leave us dumbfounded and lost. We feel confused and really don’t know what to do.  Your brain feels like a fuzzy mess. Don’t think too much about the next week or the week after that. Worrying won’t change a thing. Instead do the next available thing – if that’s getting up and taking a shower or dressing up and going to work, you do that and let God take care of the future.

 Immerse yourself in the Right Environment

Your environment includes the things around you that you can perceive with all your five senses. What you can see, hear, feel, smell and taste. That includes the people around you, the songs you’re exposed to, what you watch and even what you eat and drink. If you have to navigate an unexpected season because of a mistake you made, you can’t surround yourself with people who will keep hammering on your mistake and condemning you constantly. That won’t help in any way. You need people around you who will be able to remind you of God’s forgiveness and help you move forward. If you find yourself in a season of unexpected grief and pain, you need an environment that’ll hold you up and nurture you through your pain. If you need to find words of encouragement online, do that. When you cannot bring yourself to pray, surround yourself with people who can pray with and for you. Just be conscious of your environment.

Trust that even though it may not look like it at the moment, everything will eventually work out for your good.

The word of God is true, believe it. ‘EVERYTHING – the good, the bad, the ugly – Everything works together for the good of those who love God and who have been called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28). Dig into his word and find the truths he’s spoken about you. Continuously declare them. It’ll help magnify your faith and diminish your fear. 

So if you’re reading this today and find yourself in an unexpected transition, I want you to know that God loves you and he’ll walk by your side through this season. David said ‘though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for you are with me Lord.’ The valley of the shadow of death is a scary place to be. However, as long as God is there with us, we have nothing to be afraid of.

So I rebuke fear, I rebuke anxiety, I rebuke panic and any form of hopelessness that might want to take over your life in this season.

I speak the peace, the grace and the love of God over your heart and mind today.

As you walk through this unexpected season look on to him and keep your eyes fixed on him.