“You have been traveling around this mountain country long enough. Turn northward” — Deuteronomy 2:3 ESV
I can imagine being child, filled with joy and enamored by the stories found in a book. With each page came something new. Whether it brought shock or laughter I was invested. I knew in order to see what came next, I had to not only turn the page but I also wanted to. It was easy, simple, and I didn’t give it second thought.
Now that I’m older I find it interesting how the same intrigued girl, could be so apprehensive. That same child knew in order to see what happens next you MUST turn the page, because without that the story would be incomplete. Yet, as life unfolds the same concept that once was natural has become complex.
Have you ever found yourself in a similar position? At a standstill in life, hesitant or struggling to move forward. You may know in your heart and spirit that it’s time to turn the page because there’s more to the story, but instead you find yourself lingering in the very thing God is transitioning you from.
I may not know what your thing is but you do. You know the very things standing in the way of you, and what comes next. Though we often label our reasons a name, place, or situation at the root of our stagnation is us. I know moving forward and turning the pages within your life can be hard. Sometimes it can even be met with frustration, pain, and grief. However, remember that it is just one page of many.
We all have a story, and as we journey through life, we must know God is writing out each line intricately. Nothing is ever waisted in His hands. He has good plans for us. Even the adversities of life cannot change the fact that “Gods goodness and mercy follows us all the days of our life (Ps.23:6)”. This truth is evidence that what comes next will always be attached to victory in the end.
So, why hesitate to turn the page? Why resist? Why not trust that what comes next will be better even if it takes a few more pages to get to it? The outcome is already guaranteed. So, why wait if God is saying move? Holding on or staying in a state of stagnation will never push you into what’s next.
Take yourself back to the childlike version of you. The boy or girl who would pick up a book, read about the conflict, and chose to continuing reading. This child experienced every high and low of the book, but went along for the journey with anticipation things would work out in the end. Why can’t we as adults apply this to how we view life and our transitional seasons?
Staying stagnate can no longer be an option. The safest place we will ever be is in the hands of God. It’s time to trust Him with our story, trust Him through the process, and keep turning the pages.