SEASONS OF CHANGE
By Steve Bietz
Burke County
Transition. September can certainly be described as a time of transition. Our kids transition from summer vacation to going back to the classroom in a school. We see the days growing shorter in September as the temperatures begin to cool as the first day of Autumn approaches. Fall begins on September 22nd this year as the sun crosses the celestial equator moving southward. No matter how much we love one particular season, at some point, it ends and we must welcome a new one.
Just like the weather seasons, we also face changes and transitions in our lives which bring shifts and adjustments. I believe God’s Word is key to understanding and dealing with transitions.
One promise that we see in scripture should be a constant reminder of courage when we face the seasons of change in life. Psalm 102:27 informs us that God does not change. While seasons shift, God Himself remains the same. He is forever faithful. It helps to remember those truth anchors you and me in times of transition and change. Also, we see that in Christ we are changing daily. “Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.” (2 Corinthians 4:16) So changes in seasons usually bring drastic changes as we transition our routines and lives, however in Christ, we know that we are already changing daily.
At times, God can be preparing us for change and transition without us even knowing it. In Samuel 16: 5-13, we read David’s story of change and transition. David was a shepherd boy, the last born in his family, with brothers who seemed to have kingly abilities that would make them appear statesman-like. Yet God chose David to be the next king of Israel. David was preparing for the change and transition without even knowing it as he watched over sheep and protected them from bears and lions. He led sheep in preparation for leading the children of Israel.
We see other transitions in scripture. Paul’s transition from persecutor to preacher. The disciples of Jesus go through a season of change as they transition from being humble fishermen to becoming fishers of men. And the story of Joseph as he transitions from being a prisoner in Egypt to becoming the Prime Minister of Egypt. One consistent theme I see in all of these transitions is that the God of Heaven was with each one as they went through the changes. That same God is faithful to be with us today in our season of transitions.
In my own life, I expected to be immersed in the Corporate world until my retirement. I owned a printing company for 25 years, never dreaming of a transition. I was completely unaware that running a business with employees, deadlines, financial decisions, etc etc, was actually God’s way of training me to be the Pastor of the Morganton Seventh-day Adventist Church.
We know that God has plans for each of us to transition into His disciples as we stay connected to God in prayer and the Word. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:5,6
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Steve Bietz is the pastor at Morganton Seventh Day Adventist Church. You can read more good Christian news from Pastor Steve Bietz HERE.
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Blue Ridge Christian News covers Burke County, McDowell County, Mitchell County, Yancey County, Madison County, in North Carolina, and Christian news from around the country.
