To The Girl Approaching A Season Of Transition.

Education, marriage, place of residency, family—all of this is going to change in the next month. I will no longer be at my university. I will no longer be single. I will no longer live in a familiar city or town. And I will no longer have just one family to call my own.

That’s a lot of transition for this girl.

To those who are approaching graduation, starting or ending a relationship, moving to another location, or experiencing family additions—these transitions can be simultaneously excitement inducing and anxiety producing.

I feel the weightiness of transition on my heart as I think about all that transition will cost me. I think of the church I have been a part of in my university town. I think of how beautifully God has called people from that church to be a part of my life. I think of all the dear friends I have made in my English education classes. I think of all the sisters I have adopted throughout my years at the university. And leaving all of that is going to lead to so many overwhelming emotions—as if I don’t already feel a twinge of that.

Approaching or going through a transitional season can also be a really sweet growing period in our walk alongside Jesus. When we become comfy and sound, Jesus gingerly places His hand on the small of our backs to press forward, keeping our eyes on the prize. That walk can feel long and distant from the past location we once resided in. That walk can appear to be lonely and difficult without the comfortability we once were experiencing.

I love that Jesus doesn’t allow us to stay complacent. He pushes us to grow and to trust Him in that growth. God draws us into a season of transition so that our faith can be transformed.

Although I’m leaving behind my wonderful university—and the comfort of classes—I am enteringa really neat experience with student teaching. Although I am going to be far from dear friends, I am going to grow closer to my dearest friend in holy matrimony. And although I will not be a part of my current, beloved community, I will meet new people and develop in a new community.

To the girl approaching a season of transition, it seems scary, and possibly somber. As a girl going through a whole collection of transitions, I get you. But, I find it so sweet that Jesus is going to use this time to make me aware of His closeness and pursuit after my attention and my heart. To the girl approaching a season of transition, do not be afraid, for the Lord your God is with us wherever we go.

words by Kayla Scott and photo by Sarah Beth Pritchard