How Do We Navigate Seasons of Change?
This blog is an excerpt taken from the book Crossing Over — Biblical Keys for Seasons of Transition
If you travel somewhere on an aeroplane, there is a period of time when you are neither here, nor there. You know where you have been, and you know where you are heading, but in the crossing over period, all you really know is that you are in a metal cylinder somewhere in the sky.
There are many periods in our lives where we transition from one thing to another. It might be a big life event like getting married, moving house, having a baby or changing jobs. It might be something where change happens to us outside of our choosing, like a bereavement or a forced relocation. There are small, everyday transitions that we go through as well, like a car journey from one place to another, or the process of getting ready for bed.
As well as physical changes, we also go through different spiritual seasons with God. A spring-like season might feel like a time of growth and new life, a summer season might feel like spiritual flourishing, autumn can feel like stripping back and pruning, and a winter season might be a time of waiting or rest. Sometimes spiritual seasons can mirror our physical circumstances, but at other times, spiritual seasons can stretch over longer periods of time. Season changes can sometimes be experienced individually, but they can often involve a whole group of people, whether that be a family, a community, or even an entire population.
In most season shifts, there is an in-between period. It’s a time of transition and crossing over. In some cases it is long, and in some cases it is short, but it is rarely instant. Even where there is an instantaneous change in circumstances, there is a longer season of transition that comes along with that.
To go back to the aeroplane analogy, this in-between period of travel is full of both waiting and movement. You are constantly moving when on an airborne aeroplane. However, you are simultaneously waiting to reach your destination.
Seasons of transition are the same, and they can often feel very disorientating for this reason. You know that you have moved away from where you’ve been, but you also know you’re not fully in the new season yet. It takes patience to move through a period of transition, especially when you don’t know exactly how long it will last.
So, what do we do in the in-between space? Is it merely a time of waiting? Do we just grin and bear it until we come out the other side?
I believe there is so much learning, growth and spiritual formation that can happen during the in-between periods. To help us navigate these seasons of transition, we’re going to look at part of the book of Joshua in the Bible.
Joshua led the Israelites through an in-between season. Now, with Moses, they had actually already been in a 40 year long in-between season of wandering in the wilderness. They were free from slavery in Egypt, but they hadn’t yet entered the promised land. However, this season was extended because of human distrust in God. It is a tragic story of a whole generation not getting to enter into the promises that God had for them.
Although there is a lot to learn from this wilderness story, we’re instead going to focus on the God-ordained, crossing over season at the beginning of the book of Joshua. Although this is quite an active and progressive season for the Israelites compared to where they have been, there are still times of waiting, trusting and preparing. It wasn’t just a single day of crossing over. There is still very much an in-between period from when Moses dies to taking possession of the promised land (the fall of Jericho).
We are often all moving through multiple levels of transition throughout our lives. You may be going through a very immediate job change on an individual level, whilst also going through a spiritual season of transition as a church community, whilst also living in a pivotal season for the country you reside in.
No matter whether you feel smack bang in the middle of a disorientating, drawn out time of change, or whether circumstances feel fairly stable right now, there are many things we can learn from the Bible about navigating in-between times.
I believe the book of Joshua is significant for the church as a whole at this current moment. We have been, and we are currently in a fairly extended transition period. Since the Covid-19 pandemic, we have been in a pivotal time. Things are not the same as they used to be. We know that we are not where we have been, yet we have a hunger and thirst for something more, although we can’t say that we have quite tasted that “more” yet. We are in a crossing over period.
For us as the church in these times, there are temptations to return to the old ways of doing things because they are familiar. There are temptations to freeze and fall into inactivity because things currently feel unfamiliar. There are also temptations to run ahead because the in-between season feels unsatisfying in light of our hunger for more.
So how do we navigate this season?
We need the help of the Holy Spirit. We need wisdom, discernment and patience. And we need to study the Word for keys as to how to navigate this time.
