5 Changes for Fall

​What do you think of when fall begins? As a striking season of change, it’s easy to have vivid memories and hopes attached; looking forward to the kids being out of the house for school, sweater weather, or maybe that trip to the mountains you’ve been planning to be right in the heart of the colors. But maybe you feel a little left out in what you think of when fall comes. The end of a relationship, the increase of stress, or the death of a loved one may be your first thoughts as the leaves turn. Whatever the change may be, there is beauty hidden within it.
 
Isaiah 43:19
“See, I am doing a new thing!
    Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
    and streams in the wasteland.”

Change in life is mysterious, exhilarating, and terrifying all at once. It can seem that just when we get a grip on our current situation, something gets turned upside down all over again. Even with positive changes, there is always a healthy grieving of the past, but, also a brave acceptance of the new. The Lord has promised to walk with us through every season and every change, whether it be a trial or not.
 
Isaiah 43:2
“When you pass through the waters,
    I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
    they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
    you will not be burned;
    the flames will not set you ablaze.”
 
As the fall approaches and new things are beginning and old things ending, let us walk through changes with grace, humility, and bravery.

1. Communicate to God how you feel and think about the change.
If you sense your circumstances becoming unfamiliar or daunting, call out for help! If you feel stretched in character, ask for His guidance! Our relationship with God is sweetened when we unfold entirely before Him. He looks on us with kind eyes and is eager to provide rest and courage.

2. Surrender to and receive the new season.
We can only see the treasures along the path if we are committed to walking it. Since God has called us here, there’s no need to fear!

3. Appropriately grieve or celebrate the end of the previous season.
It was a gift. It shaped who you are. Bid it the farewell it's due. It will help you embrace what’s next with joy and hope.

4. Gain discernment in how best to live within this new time.
Pray and wait. God knows every step and the Spirit can help you be in tune.

5. Be encouraged! 
The Lord is dedicated to growing us up. This new season will act as a reward or a time of growth. 

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