A change of pace. A change of atmosphere. A change of heart.

These phrases are things we say we need every now and then. It does our spirit good to have something change in our life, if only for a day, or even a week. The dramatic changes in our life, such as a new job, or getting married, or having a baby, are good for us in our growth as it reflects that next stage in our life, a different door that leads to other things. It is those changes that can be a new chapter in our life.

What is the last book you read? Obviously books have many chapters. Each chapter has a different purpose, a different part of the story to tell. But each chapter relates to the previous ones, with all of them coming to a final conclusion. Without even one of those chapters in that story, it wouldn’t make total sense. The picture would be incomplete. Each one is a piece of the puzzle, that when read to the end, completes the puzzle.

Today a friend of mine told me he had resigned from his position at our church and had accepted a new job. This job would allow him to spend more time with his family, and earn more income as well. Both are something he really needs. For him, I am thrilled! For me and the church, I feel a loss. But, this is just the next chapter for him, as well as for the next person that God has prepared to step into his role at the church.

God is always moving His people. He loves it when we are involved in other people’s lives, in every capacity. When we can take our knowledge and faith elsewhere to inspire or encourage others, that is a gift from God. This keeps us open to what He has for us. He desires for us to move, to keep going forward and not sit still. He does not want us to be stagnant. He has many new challenges and doors for us to accept and go through, all for His name’s sake. His plan is perfect!

“‘For I know the plans I have for you’, declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
Jeremiah 29:11

If you are feeling led to make a change, whether small, like taking a day off to spend it with your family, or big, like moving to another home or city, then embrace that, because God is involved and has stirred something in you, so very possibly He has a new chapter for you.

We are not always given the choice. Perhaps you got let go from a job, or someone got injured or is really sick, or even a loved one passes away. These things are out of our control. Yet no matter the circumstance, remember that our God NEVER changes. He is our one and only Rock of ages. Steady. Unchanging. Dependable. Forever.

New chapters or new beginnings don’t mean that we forget about the past. We are who we are because of that. Those times have made us stronger too. We can still visit friends, revisit places, and remember the memories.

When we decided to move to Cumming 3 years ago, it was only after I became willing to give up our church family of 10 years. This was extremely difficult for me. But when I was willing to accept that the Lord just might be calling us to another church family, then He opened up the door for us with a new home, and a new church. It has been a big change! But being in God’s will, allowing for a new stage for our family and where we worship, is the greatest place to be. Why? Because He is pleased and I know that He is in control. He knows what the final chapter looks like and how it reads, I do not.

God the Father, in His infinite wisdom, often gives us something different and unexpected, so that our growth will be deeper, our faith will be stronger, and so that those we will come in contact with will be blessed by us in some way.

So when you encounter a potential change in your day, your routine, or in your living or work situation, see it as a possible new chapter, a new season. It could be the next greatest adventure set before you! It just might be the final piece of the puzzle of your life that completes it, or at least that makes the picture more beautiful. Each day, rather, each page of your story, has its own colors, which when seen together in the rear view mirror, paints a stunning portrait of how God has been there, whether you saw it before or not.

“Trust in the Lord with ALL your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In ALL your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”
Proverbs 3:5-6

Thank the Lord for the previous pages in your life, no matter how difficult, thank Him for your present place, and expect that He has many new chapters in your future. Your book is not complete until there is no breath in your body.

Food for thought: Let others read your “book” of life, by sharing your story with them. Who knows – it just might compare with theirs, or it might encourage them! Perhaps, you might even have something or someone in common in your story.

Fun facts: The most-read books of the world are: #1 the Bible, #2 Quotations from the Works of Mao Tse-Tung, #3 Harry Potter, #4 The Lord of the Rings, #5 The Alchemist, #6 The DaVinci Code, #7 The Twilight Saga, #8 Gone with the Wind, #9 Think and Grow Rich, #10 The Diary of Anne Frank.

Photo by: Jan Tinneberg – Open Door