Moving Forward through Changes

Dustin Turner
February 1, 2022

I often feel like I have lived dozens of lifetimes in my 25 years of life. Around my senior year of college alone, I moved four times. I moved from my parent’s house to my first apartment, my first apartment to a dorm, that dorm into another apartment, from that apartment back to my parent’s house, from my parent’s house again to New Orleans. I quickly became an expert at packing and unpacking. 

Nevertheless, each move presented the challenge of finding a “new normal.” There were times when I had difficulty adapting and I even had trouble finding contentment with my “new normal.” However, one thing seemed to work that helped me cope in those difficult circumstances. TV is one of my favorite pastimes, and I particularly enjoy TV shows with good plots. My trick was to pretend my life was a TV show, and those difficult circumstances were all part of my character development. Did this work in every case? Nope. But it did sometimes. Even if it just made me laugh at my circumstances for a short time, it was useful.

If that idea carried on, then 2020 and even 2021 would have been the most suspenseful seasons with arguably too many opportunities for character development. But COVID isn’t the only transition we’ve had to deal with in the past two years. Our lives have been changed by new jobs, new homes, lost loved ones, and the addition of new loved ones. Not all transitions or changes are bad; some we even get to choose for ourselves; however, some are out of our control. Nevertheless, all of them need our attention so that we may properly move forward.

Here are some of my suggestions on how to move forward during a transition:

Acknowledge what transitions are happening

Identify it. If you acknowledge the current situation, or even if you write it down, you’ll have more power over it. For instance, you might write, “Right now, I’m experiencing ______” or “This season has brought about some changes that look like this: ______.” If you’d like, you can create a timeline. Once this has been completed, make a note in its margins of your thoughts, emotions, and actions at each point. Doing so will give you a bird’s-eye view of the experience. 

Grieve what you are losing

Grief is not exclusive to the death of a loved one; any loss needs to be grieved. Among these losses are:

  • Loss of a job or financial adjustments
  • Changes in friendships or relationships
  • Life adjustments
  • Lost opportunities
  • Loss of expectations

The greater the loss, the more time and intentionality should be anticipated. You can help the grieving process by journaling or writing about the thing you’ve lost; occupy a quiet place and write everything that comes to mind about it/them. Spending some time alone in nature can also help. This could mean going to the beach, a park, or a forest (really, whatever your favorite part of God’s creation is). During this process, you may want to concentrate on your loss and pray.

There is so much more to speak into when it comes to grief. I have attached here a more exhaustive document from the University of Wisconsin’s Department of Family Medicine for additional information. 

Write down what you are looking forward to

What are you most looking forward to during this transition? During transitions, these may not be the first things that cross your mind. But they can provide great perspective. Make a list of the positive things you are anticipating through it, no matter how big or small it may seem. If this is difficult for you, what are the things that you remain grateful for? How do you anticipate the Lord to move or grow you? 

Of course, this doesn’t just apply to spiritual matters; you should look forward to any positive development in social, academic, professional, or any other area. In any case, we should never lose sight of the spiritual realities at work.

What are you most looking forward to during this transition? During transitions, these may not be the first things that cross your mind. But they can provide great perspective. Make a list of the positive things you are anticipating through it, no matter how big or small it may seem. If this is difficult for you, what are the things that you remain grateful for? How do you anticipate the Lord to move or grow you? 

Of course, this doesn’t just apply to spiritual matters; you should look forward to any positive development in social, academic, professional, or any other area. In any case, we should never lose sight of the spiritual realities at work.

Ask for Help

Don’t be afraid to ask for help. I recommend that you ask the people closest to you for assistance in any of these steps. Reaching out to those around you in times of need shows a great deal of strength. What friends, family members, or church leaders can you turn to for support? 

Would you benefit from more intentional care? Counseling is no longer associated with the notion that only “crazy” people need it or that it indicates a lack of faith. I will stand and testify that those lines of thinking have been strategic tools the enemy uses to keep God’s people captive. I would encourage you, if you think it would be helpful, to book an appointment with a local counselor. Talk to them about your experience and see if they can have a beneficial impact on you.

Whatever change or transition you are going though, seek first the Kingdom of God. Seek his face and plans through it all. Pray that God will give you the strength to face the challenges in front of you and honor Him with your words and actions as you navigate through it. Not much can be guaranteed in today’s world. But you can bet your bottom dollar that God still listens to our prayers. 

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