To The One Walking Into A New Season

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 43:19

About this time 14 years ago, I had just finished my junior year of high school and was gearing up for my senior year. Beginning a new school year was always super exciting to me, but that year held even more anticipation than normal. After all, it was SENIOR YEAR.

I often think about what I would go back and tell 17-year-old me if I could give her a pep talk before she walked into her final year of high school. Here’s a glimpse into what I would tell her:

Kristen, this is going to be one of the most memorable years of your life for a lot of reasons. Don’t wish it away because you’re dying to get to the next season.

Kristen, you think you’ve got the next several years of your life planned out. And while planning can be fun, what’s even more fun is when God surprises you.

Kristen, you’re going to be tempted to text that boy you know you shouldn’t be with. But trust me, waiting is always better than settling. Every. Single. Time.

Kristen, there are going to be a lot of chances for you to compare the way you look to the people around you. But I want you to remember something: You are beautiful. You are strong. And the fact that your body is built differently than your friends' doesn’t change that.

Kristen, you’re going to be getting a lot of advice and opinions over the course of this year about what you should do, where you should go, and what decisions you should make. But don’t forget that the only One you need to worry about pleasing is your Heavenly Father. So when the opinions get overwhelming, always run to His truth and His Word.

Oh, what I wouldn’t give to go back 14 years, look my younger self in the face, and tell her all of these things. But then I realize, as much as 17-year-old Kristen needed to hear them, 31-year-old Kristen still needs to hear them too.

Isn’t it funny how that works? We think about what we wish we would have known when we were younger or in a different season of life, only to realize that maybe the same advice we wish we’d been given back then is the same advice we need to be taking where we are right now.

I love that we serve a full-circle God. I love that He uses our past to teach us things and remind us of His truth and His faithfulness. And I love that His Word applies to our lives no matter what season we’re walking through.

So whether you’re walking into senior year, a new job, a new relationship, or some other sort of new season full of uncertainty, I hope you make a conscious effort to enjoy where God has placed you in this moment.

I pray that you won't get hung up on your own plans, but that you’ll be open to His plans for you. I hope you remember that waiting is always better than settling. I pray that you don’t fall into the trap and temptation to compare yourself to those around you and their current seasons. And I hope that you always, first and foremost, run to Jesus whether you’re excited, uncertain, upset, or in need of wisdom.

New seasons are so exciting, friend. So enjoy it. And may this be a season that, as you look back on it one day, brings the biggest smile to your face.