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How Do I Begin Again?

No matter what circumstances have led you to this crossroads, you may find yourself lying awake at night with worrisome thoughts running rampant: How did I end up here? How am I supposed to start over? Should I even try to begin again? Times of transition are opportunities to invent the new you, but fear and a lack of self-confidence can feel like anchors tied to your feet. All the what-ifs haunt your heart like nobody’s business.

In other words, during times of transition, not only do we often not feel like ourselves, we don’t even know who this “new me” is supposed to be. These questions and big decisions can prevent us from seeing all the possibilities life holds and keep us stuck where we are.

The key to finding the courage and desire to see the possibilities in this new season is recognizing the huge difference between starting over and beginning again.

Beginning again doesn’t mean starting over from scratch with no foundation, knowledge, or resources. We all possess memories and experiences to lean on. We have gained wisdom and learned lessons, which have brought us to where we are today. We have developed skills and relationships, endured failures and disappointments, and enjoyed triumphs and successes. We have a past, yet we aren’t the same people we were in the past, so we aren’t starting in the same place we ever started before.

So we aren’t actually starting over. We’re simply beginning again in a new place in life. As we read in Isaiah 43:19, “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.” We’re beginning anew in the place God has us right now. A place He has prepared for us and prepared us, a place where He can continue His work in us (see Philippians 1:6), and a place where He has equipped us to thrive.

Jesus, give me the wisdom to be aware of my emotions and the ability to control my thoughts so neither of them will become a hindrance. Fill me with excitement about this fresh start, about feeling joy again, and about trusting You all along the way to open the right doors as I begin again. Amen.