I’ve often found it challenging to bid farewell to the familiar, especially in relationships. I have tended to wait until something terrible happens, providing me with an excuse to escape. Unfortunately, I learned the hard way that remaining in a relationship or community past its appointed season is debilitating.

For example, I chose to remain in a friendship with an ex-boyfriend after we’d ended our relationship. He invited me to attend a formal banquet event. I saw no harm in attending; after all, we were just friends. During the event, he invited me on stage and surprised me with a marriage proposal! I was livid. So as not to embarrass him, I accepted his public proposal. After the event, devastated, dumbfounded, and discouraged, I told him that I could not marry him. It was a long road to recovery that could have been avoided if I had completely let go when we ended our relationship.

You would think I learned my lesson. But no, I still had not learned to embrace endings. Later, I had a dear friend with whom I shared a sister-like bond. Over time, as my singlehood shifted into dating, marriage, and children, she became more bitter about being single. Projecting her frustrations onto me, our friendship warped into her consistently wanting me to mourn with her, as she found every excuse to avoid rejoicing with me. After years of this type of dysfunction, long past its expiration date, our messy friendship ended when I learned she was being disrespectful to my young daughter. 

It took an adult being ugly to my toddler for me to fully understand and embrace endings.

In the tapestry of our lives, seasons change, and chapters come to a close — even good chapters. It’s often difficult to bid farewell to the familiar, especially in relationships. The journey of letting go is a challenging but essential part of the human experience. But I have finally learned to see the beauty of endings in anticipation of the promise new beginnings bring.

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.”
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 NIV

This passage from Ecclesiastes beautifully captures the essence of life’s cyclical nature. Just as the seasons change, so do the seasons of our lives. Embracing this truth can be challenging, especially when we find ourselves holding onto relationships, a job, a role, a mindset, habits, practices, beliefs, or anything that has been good for us or served a special purpose. 

Endings are not failures; they are opportunities for growth. Just as a tree sheds its leaves in the autumn to make way for new growth in the spring, we too must go through a time of shedding to make room for the new beginnings that await us. 

During a challenging period, the prophet, Isaiah reassures the people of Israel that God is about to do something new in their lives. “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 NIV).

God encourages us to let go of the past as an indicator of things to come – to look forward to the new things He is doing in our lives. Embracing endings requires trust in His divine plan. Just as a gardener prunes a plant for it to bear more fruit, sometimes we need to prune certain things in our lives to make room for the new blessings that God wants to bestow upon us.

Nevertheless learning to accept and embrace endings has not made it easier to end my season with (in)courage. As I write this, my last (in)story, I am grateful that I no longer need trauma to prompt a release. Thank God! While letting go is painful, I can embrace this ending as a beautiful beginning. I would appreciate your prayers for my ‘new next.’

As you navigate the endings in your life, remember that God is with you, guiding you through the transitions. Release the fear of letting go and step into the hope of a new season.

Endings are not conclusions; they are the prologue to the beautiful story God is unfolding in your life.

Heavenly Father, give us the strength to let go when it is time. Help us to trust in Your plan for our lives, knowing that endings are the gateway to new beginnings. May we find solace in Your presence during times of transition and embrace the opportunities for growth that arise from letting go.

 

Listen to today’s devotion below or wherever you stream podcasts. 

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