How to release your anxiety in the transitions of life
“Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past.
See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland.
Isaiah 43:18-19 NLT
What are you going to be when you grow up? A Disney princess! No, maybe a professional dancer. Wait, a makeup artist. I got it, a dance studio owner! Depending on when that question was asked, I always thought I knew the answer!
As I unpacked my dorm room in August of 2016, my path and my purpose was sure. Yet, by the time December rolled around, I felt empty. How could I be doing what I loved yet feel so depressed? As I re-packed to move back in with my parents, I felt confused and embarrassed. I didn’t know my next step or how to answer people’s invasive questions.
We hear the term “season” thrown around a lot. What’s the point of different seasons in our lives? Sure, we see everyone else’s seasons, but where are ours? We may feel stuck in a season or in transition. If so, we grieve what we thought was our calling, unsure of what’s next.
The kingdom of Israel went through many transitions we see laid out in the Old Testament. They went through periods of worshiping idols, captivity, and literally wandering the wilderness for 40 years trying to figure out where on Earth they were being told to go!
God shared this beautiful prophecy through Isaiah as encouragement. Why? Because He knew to move forward they couldn’t step back. God knew if they were grieving over sins, situations, and even past victories they would never be able to fully accept what God had next for them.
Four years after coming home, I’ve walked through many forms of my purpose. As I write today I’m proud to say I love where I am currently, but accept God may eventually say it’s time for a change. Yes, there are days I scroll instagram and see people living out my former dreams, and it can hurt. But I read, “it’s nothing compared to what I am going to do”, and I could leap for joy.
My current season is one I never expected. Like the promise, “see, I have already begun”, I realize how past seasons prepared me. I learned how to dance so I could share God’s love through movement, I acted so I could speak, I ran a business so I could assist a ministry, and so much more not yet revealed. The craziest part of my current season was a conversation I had as a senior in high school. I’d already decided to double major in dance and entrepreneurship, to open my own dance studio, when a complete stranger said, “you were made to be a speaker and writer.” I blew it off at the time, thinking he was crazy, but today both things are true in my life. I just needed to release the dreams not meant to be and allow God to guide me through the wilderness to the work He had already begun!
REFLECTION QUESTIONS
What was a season or dream you had to grieve over?
How were you able to release that? If you haven’t, what’s a practical step you can take to let go?
Write out all of your dreams, whether realistic to you or not.
Way to go big dreamer! Now cross them all out. That’s right, just do it!
Write this statement over them “God is doing something so much bigger for me”
Do you believe that statement? Why or why not?
Take a moment to pray. Out of those dreams or something else completely, what do you feel God calling you to take closer steps to right now? It could be a career path, health path, spiritual path, or anything that comes in your heart. Write it here.
What’s one practical step you can take to start trusting and pursuing what God has next for you?
Today’s post was adapted from our devotional Exceptionally Made: A Journey to Create Your True Identity in Christ. If you enjoyed learning about purpose then we encourage you to dive into the six- week study on identity. Exceptionally Made will walk you through understanding your God-given identity and how to walk out the purpose He has placed on your life. Get it now at the Fearless Shop!
With love,
Mikaylin