As we prepare for the start of a new year, the buzzword is "resolutions." What are the things that I am going to set out to do in the next year? What changes am I going to make?
Resolutions have always felt a little daunting, so I focus on choosing one word for the year. I pick a word for the year to pray. I weave it into my prayers and my monthly reflections. It’s a word that I pray with the posture of, "Lord, help me to remain [this] in you." It’s a practice that shifts my head and heart to remember that I live this life by his grace and for his glory.
As I started to reflect on my word from last year, it was "steady," and my prayer was, "Lord, help me to stay steady and rooted in your love"—that was the prayer—a prayer for steady roots in Christ. What "January 2022 me" didn’t know was that significant change would mark this year. My job, friendships, community, and city would majorly shift. I would start a new job in Nashville and leave life in South Carolina. I would change industries from higher education to go back into the ministry and non-profit realm. In 2022, everything about my circumstances and the context in which I lived – changed.
If I was sitting across from you in a coffee shop and told you this story, you would nod and probably chuckle a little because, whether you are 25 or 55, one thing we know to be true about life is that it changes. We know we aren’t the only ones who feel like change is constant, with phrases like "quarter-life crisis" and "mid-life crisis" perpetuating in our circle of friends. It’s not "will change happen," but "when change happens."
Well, if change is a constant reality, how does Scripture equip us to navigate change? How do we find solid ground in shifting seasons?
Here are 3 ways that I found steady ground this past year. Now, this isn’t a 3-step process to happiness or success, but instead a glimpse into my bumpy and fumbling way to find steady ground in a shifting season.
First, while my circumstances changed, the character of God never did. He stayed steady even when I felt like everything was shifting. Malachi 3:6 states, "For I, the LORD, do not change; therefore, you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed." While navigating a career change, moving to a new city, and so much more, the one constant that I knew to be true was that God was steady and unchanging. I knew that no matter what job I had next – he would be there. I knew he had stayed with me through life changes before and he would stay with me now. As Keith and Kristin Getty put it in their song, "He Will Hold Me Fast,"
"Those He saves are His delight
Christ will hold me fast
Precious in His holy sight
He will hold me fast."
Through his steadfastness, I am fastened.
Next, I found steady ground amid change by remembering that nothing is lost in the Kingdom of God. Life is more fluid than we give it credit for—our path is not always a straight line up a corporate ladder. Shifts and hurdles along the way can even change the trajectory of our careers, but those changes or hurdles are not wasted. The skills I learned in my first job working in medical supply retail taught me customer service skills; my next job serving as a camp counselor taught me the importance of discipleship; and so forth and so on. Each role, whether it was administrative, customer service, ministry, or education, taught me transferable skills that I carry with me today. Learning to connect with co-workers, lead teams, manage a budget, build schedules, and prioritize tasks are skills that the Lord has used to refine my life and my role as an employee. None of it is wasted.
Lastly, I found steady ground in my community. Community is talked about throughout Scripture because it matters. We are designed for relationship—relationship with God and relationship with others. Over this past year, those relationships were the ones that I leaned on to pray with me and for me as I navigated my next steps. They were the phone calls that I made after an interview or before turning in my notice. They’re the friendships that have withstood the test of time, from sitting in their living room discussing how to navigate a difficult situation to all the highs and lows in between—the near and dear ones. The ones that have been consistent and have lived out, Proverbs 27:17, "As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another." They were safe friends who listened, challenged, and encouraged me to know God more deeply and make him known throughout my life.
If you’re entering a season of change, feel like you’re in a "quarter-life crisis" or "mid-life crisis," or just feel apprehensive with the new year approaching, may this next year be one that is marked by leaning more into Christ through the hard and hope-filled moments. May you see more glimpses of his goodness and grace. May you remember that through it all, the Lord provides for us and sustains us. May we keep this prayer fixed at the forefront of our hearts and minds: "Lord, help us remain steady and rooted in your love through all the inevitable changes."
