Navigating Change: Following the Footsteps of JesusНамуна

Approaching the End

If you are a follower of Jesus, you take your cues for life from Him. You apprentice under Him, walking with and learning from Him every step of the way. And if you are a human, the reality is you are going to experience tons of change and transitions over the course of your life.

One of the seasons where you will experience transitions in a very concentrated dose is as a young adult. Young adulthood is a pressure cooker for navigating change. You’re leaving home and familiarity. You’re figuring out relationships with friends, family, and significant others. You’re stepping into the workforce and, for the first time, start dates don’t come with planned end dates. You’re healing from childhood wounds, finding your people, and building a life independent of your parents. You’re making a budget … and remaking that budget over and over again!

Something you may not have considered is that Jesus actually knows what it’s like to be a young adult and lead young adults. He was 30 when He began His public ministry, and He called a bunch of younger guys to come train under Him the whole time. Watching Jesus lead Himself and others through the final moments of His earthly ministry, we can develop a practical theology for transitioning into new seasons of life well. Over the course of the next few days, we’re going to follow in Jesus’ footsteps as He made His way toward the culminating moment of history—the cross. We’re going to walk with Him and learn from Him because He’s gentle and humble in heart and we will find rest for our souls.

Let’s start with John 12. This scene starts with Jesus entering Jerusalem on the back of a donkey. People proclaimed Him to be the Blessed One from God. Many of these people literally witnessed Jesus raise a guy named Lazarus from the dead (see chapter 11). The desire of the religious leaders to kill Jesus because He threatened their control over the people has never been stronger.

His disciples were aware of the threat the religious leaders posed. And here’s what Jesus says to His friends about what’s coming:

“Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die. John 12:31-33 NIV

Jesus predicts His death in a way that’s pointed and intentional. Because, practically speaking, if a major event is about to happen that is going to drastically impact your life and the lives of the people around you, the most foolish thing you could do would probably be to pretend it’s not happening at all. To ignore it, not talk about it, and not prepare for it.

And yet, that’s the approach many of us take! We know that the end of our current season will probably be painful or sad in some ways, so we try not to talk or think about it so we don’t have to feel those emotions.

Our unwillingness to process and prepare for what’s coming doesn’t change reality though.

The first lesson we can glean from Jesus on ending a season well is to be intentional about preparing yourself and your community for the good, bad, and ugly of what you’re about to walk through.

And just to be clear, that doesn’t mean you have to have everything figured out to start processing it and talking about it. You won’t. But it does mean we don’t get to shove it aside until the last second.

If we do that, we will default to the path forward that causes the least amount of pain for us. But that’s not always what’s best. And Jesus’ life and death is a clear example of this.

“Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name!” John 12:27-28 NIV

Jesus processes His decision to endure the cross rather than save Himself from its pain, modeling for us the wisdom of preparation over suppression.

If you are approaching the end of something in your life, take a cue from Jesus. Don’t set aside decisions, emotions, or the opportunity to bring people into the process until it's too late. Do the harder thing and decide in advance what matters most to you, share that with people around you, and together, end well.

Stop and consider: Are you avoiding an ending? Are you suppressing an emotion? Are you bypassing a decision? What will you do to approach it more wisely moving forward?