When Life Doesn’t Go According to Plan

Transition.

The Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines transition as a passage from one place or state to another; change; passing from one subject to another.

As I sit at our lake home looking out the window, I can see transition happening right in front of me. The leaves are changing colors, and it is spectacular.

The green that was so welcomed in the spring has stayed with us through the hot months of summer. Now the cooler days and crisp nights allow the leaves to transition into their full beauty of fall—light green, yellow, orange, and brown.

Each day brings a little more color.

And then, before long, those beautiful leaves will fall, the trees will become bare, and everything will move into the dormant season of winter.

Isn’t that a lot like life?

We move from one season into another. Sometimes the transition is beautiful and exciting. Other times, it doesn’t look anything like we expected.

When the Plan Changes

I can relate to that right now. We are in the process of building a new home.

At the beginning of summer, the building process was in full swing. There were steady, visible changes almost every day, and it was exciting to watch everything come together.

Then an unusually wet weather pattern slowed everything down - an unexpected change.

Rain saturated the floor. The ground became muddy enough that equipment couldn’t get where it needed to go. Work on the roof and shingles was delayed. The exciting start has given way to stress. Checking the next rain forecast has become an obsession.

This wasn’t how I pictured this part of the process.

In my mind, we would already be installing windows, putting on siding, and preparing to complete the interior work through the winter with hopes of moving in next spring.

But transition doesn’t always ask us what we had planned. Sometimes life simply changes direction.

When Reality Looks Different

Transitions can sound perfectly manageable when we are talking about them. But when reality hits, they can throw off our plans and push us into a season we weren’t quite ready for.

Maybe you’ve experienced that too. You thought something would go one way, and then while you were right in the middle of it, you realized it was going somewhere completely different. It doesn’t necessarily mean the new direction is bad.

It just isn’t what you pictured. And that can be hard.

So what do we do when unexpected changes come?

Go Back to What Is True

For me, the answer must be in God’s Word. When I don’t understand what is happening, Scripture reminds me where my strength comes from.

When I can’t see the other side of a situation, God’s Word gives me something solid to hold onto.

These are a few of the verses I’m holding close during this season:

But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31 NLT

Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand. Isaiah 41:10 NLT

And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. Philippians 1:6 NLT

I have hope and confidence that God will do for me what no person can do for me. He will give me strength when I am weak and don’t understand. He will give me hope when I cannot see what is on the other side. And when my confidence begins to fade, He will stand beside me, hold my right hand, and help me keep trusting Him.

Let God’s Word become the steady place you return to when everything around you feels like it is changing.

A Simple Next Step

Take some time to sit with your Bible. Look up verses about change, trust, strength, or hope and find one that speaks directly to the season you are in. Write it down. Keep it where you can see it. Read it when the transition feels uncomfortable or the outcome feels uncertain.