“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens…” Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NIV) 

Life is full of different seasons: short and long, good and bad, boring and exciting. Sometimes we have control of the timing of these seasons, and sometimes they come and go as they please. The death of one season may mean that a lot of change occurs, but it can also mean that we’re entering a time of growth and self development. Whether the season ends well and badly, we need to enter the new era in the right frame of mind. Here’s a few thoughts on how to end the season well: 

1. Complete unfinished business. It is important that we have no regrets when entering a transition period between seasons. Two years ago, I couldn’t stop thinking about completing my Licentiate in Instrumental and Vocal teaching.  I felt aggrieved as this qualification had previously been blocked by various issues, I’d been hurt by the situation, and I couldn’t progress without it. The thought of not completing this qualification was keeping me up at night, and I knew that God was saying that it was time to put things right. I needed to end a difficult time well by doing something for myself that put me in control and brought something good out of something bad.  

2. Let go of dead things. Not everything (or everyone) can go into your new season with you. You might need to let go of your house, your job, or even some of your friends. As we enter new territory, we change and develop to fit where we are going; this means that certain things cannot come with us because they won’t fit or work in the new place. This can be hard to accept, especially when those around us don’t share the same vision and we know that our relationships are dying because we are changing. It would be unfair to take those people with us as they would hinder us, and we would hinder them from reaching their full potential too. It can be daunting to step out on our own or with a smaller circle of friends, but God is always with us as we pioneer into the new. At the beginning of Joshua 1, Moses was dead; as Joshua became leader of the Israelites, he had to let go of his leader, mentor and friend at the border of the promised land so that he could lead the Israelites into their destiny.  

3. Accept that it might not end the way you want it to. Sometimes things end well, we feel we can leave fulfilled and with projects intact or friendships that will continue. However, there are times when a season will end with grief and disappointment. I always think that these difficult endings are there to help us leave quickly. There are places where we would linger too long if left to our own devices. Sometimes God wants to move us on quickly and the short, sharp shock makes us focus on moving forward rather than becoming distracted. One of my friends always reminds me to “shake the dust from our feet” as mentioned in Matthew 10:14 when dealing with discouragement. The same too can applied to exiting a situation; travel lightly and don’t take too much of what has happened to heart. Easier said than done, but if we become trapped by bitterness, a blocked heart and mind will make us miss what the Lord has for us.  

4. You don’t need to have all the answers. When Joshua became leader of the Israelites, the Lord told him to get going and cross the river Jordan, after that the Lord gave him every place that he stepped into. The Lord didn’t say “here’s a map, I want you to go to X, Y and Z and do the following.” He just gave Joshua an initial command “go” and that if he followed the Lord’s word he wouldn’t fail. We’re often late leaving one season and entering the next because of fear. We want to know what the plan is, and what to do and when, but the Lord wants to build our faith and trust in him so he only gives us part of the details. This doesn’t mean that we’re under prepared, more that we’re in a good place to grow our faith and trust in Jesus. Each piece of the puzzle comes as we need it.  

5. Make peace with the past. Whatever has happened cannot be undone: we have to live with it. If we make peace with our feelings, memories and actions, we enable ourselves to move on in a healthy way. If we learn from our history and mistakes, we are better equipped for our future. What has happened in the past no longer defines us but informs our future plans and choices. This helps us to forgive ourselves and others, and brings healing and freedom to pursue the new. You cannot move forward if you are always looking back.  

Wherever you are at in the change of season process, keep moving forward and listening to what the Lord is saying. The preparation of our hearts and a change of mindset for the new is required to help us become all that the Lord wants us to be. Whichever way you leave this season, be ready for the next one.