by Annette Yanez

Over the summer, I went through an unexpected significant change from my current job to a new job. It was a mixed bag of emotions and questions, wondering what I would do next. It was a transition by definition:

A period of changing from one state or condition to another.

“students in transition from one program to another”

Or, more personal, “Annette went in transition from one job to another.”

The word transition has seemed to go hand in hand with the word change, which would bring a new season. And who doesn’t want that?

Yet, calling this moment a new season seemed like it did not fit with what I sensed in my soul. The thing was, I was not sure how to describe this new place. And to be vulnerable, let me say I am still in the freshness of change, and it is from where I want to share my heart. 

In the weeks following my last day at work, I cried, laughed, panicked, prayed, and went on a Mediterranean cruise. That part was a major plus, yay husband, for planning way ahead!

It is not the first time I have handled an unexpected change in my life; with my husband, we have gone through miscarriage, bankruptcy, depression, and anxiety to my father passing away. As parents, we have had to walk into teen years learning to do the scariest thing, navigating their independence. 

Each moment has felt like a new season and transition where we dig our roots more profoundly in the Lord. Of course, in those moments, there were questions and unbelief; however, that is where Holy Spirit met us and strengthened us. I have had a deep trust in the Lord, but sometimes with kicking and tears to finally surrender. How else do you go through change?

And then, recently, by two different people, I was brought back to this scripture where Abraham is having a conversation with the Lord:

And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” Genesis 15:5 (CSB)

Abraham had been expecting a promise that would change his life. He was expecting to become a father, but he still had not had a son with his wife, Sarah. So he is having this conversation with the Lord where although the change of a son was not present, he for sure had been in a long season of transition.  

I loved the illustration that I saw in conjunction with this story:

Imagine holding the bottom of a broom in the palm of your hand. Eyes are focused on the end in your hand, swaying in an effort of balance. Next, imagine balancing the broom, but you look up at the other end of the broom in the air. To your delight, it is working! You are balancing a broom from the palm of your hand with slight swaying. 

Do you see it? Focusing on what is in our hands keeps us focused on a small circumference of the whole situation. So when change comes, what if we take our eyes off the small yet hurtful, disappointing, anxious parts of what is in our hands? What if we reach outside of ourselves and look up?

So like Abraham, you might be in transition or the middle of change, where we often focus on the end we can see in our hands. We put our heads down and dig deep; we take it as something we are embracing, asking the Lord for guidance, peace, and strength. All good responses to any situation, while it still feels like the ground is shaky. 

We can learn from Abraham that we see the stars when we step outside and look toward the sky. And maybe, like me, you might sense the Lord calling you out, “the Lord brought him out.” He is inviting us to lift our eyes and focus on His promises. Instead of waiting for security, we can see the promise and speak it over our circumstances. 

And I can say that when I began to declare God’s goodness, spoke the name of Jesus above all other names, and confessed my trust in the great, tender loving God over everything, I found myself walking confidently in the change. 

The actual transition in our soul is what the definition states, that the condition of our heart changes from

head down the emotions pushing through a transition to looking up towards all that the Lord has for us!

Annette Yanez was born in San Salvador, El Salvador but raised in Austin, Texas so she claims to be an honoree native of Austin. She is currently attending Liberty University pursuing her Christian Counseling Degree. Annette has a passion for helping the lives around her know the truth of God’s Word through counseling, whether it may be emotional or healthy living. In addition, she is a Certified Personal Trainer and Women’s Fitness Specialist. Together with her husband Bobby of 20 years, they have three teenagers who are being raised to love and serve God wherever they go. Connect with her on Instagram @annetteyanez