Recently I was listening to the Midlife Matters podcast when Julie shared a story that really resonated with me.
She, along with her daughter and son-in-law, took her young grandson to the zoo. The first exhibit they came to was the bears. There was a glass window looking into the bears’ area, so her grandson climbed up in it to sit and watch.
After a little while they told him it was time to move on. “Let’s go see the monkeys and the giraffes,” they said.
However, he didn’t want to leave where he was. In his limited experience, he couldn’t imagine that anything could be better than what he was currently experiencing. Nothing else was worth letting go of this! He didn’t realize all the other wonderful things that were waiting just around the corner.
At times we’re just like that. We don’t want to step into what’s next because we think, what could be better than what’s happening in my life right now? We don’t want to leave what’s now for what’s new.
This could be true with a stage of life, a job, a location, or a host of other things. It could be a child leaving for college, moving away from friends, or trying a new hobby or Bible study group.
Isaiah is one of my favorite books in the Old Testament and chapter 43 has one of my favorite passages. Here’s what verses 18 and 19 say.
Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.
While where we are is comfortable and known and enjoyable, there are times when God wants to do a new thing in our lives. And that new thing can be even sweeter and lovelier than what we’re clinging to so tightly right now.
I can write about this because it’s the life season I’m in. For the last five years, I’ve experienced change after change. And I’ll be honest, there are still days when I think about what joy there was in what’s now gone. It can be bittersweet.
But I know that there’s so much God wants to teach me and to bless me with in the coming days. So how we can step into the new things God wants to do in our lives?
Pray for our eyes to be open to where God wants to lead us.
Live with an open hand, trusting God to give and to take what is best for us.
Be brave. Growth happens as we step outside of our comfort zone.
Think of all that Julie’s grandson would have missed if he hadn’t had someone older and wiser to move him on to all the animal adventures that were awaiting him!
I’d love to know if there’s something new you see coming in your life.
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This post was very timely. My one and only daughter is going away to college in August. We just had orientation yesterday. It’s been an emotional month already. We are close. My husband works 2nd shift, so it is just my daughter and I in the evening. I definitely need some new hobbies. I definitely need to hear some direction from God. I am having a hard time “leaving the bears” to see more.
I will pray for you in this upcoming transition! When each of our daughters left for college, the first two weeks were the most difficult for me. I purposely planned ahead so I had things to occupy me during that time. Since our daughters were almost 10 hours away in college, I also went ahead and planned a trip down to visit partway through the semester so that I had that point of reconnecting to look forward to!
For me, the “new things” in that stage were taking on a volunteer job at a hospital and joining a neighborhood Bible study. I also tried to say “yes” to other opportunities that came along, even if it was something I hadn’t thought I’d be interested in. However, how we handle that new season of life can look different for each of us.
Now that our younger daughter is headed into her final year of college, I know that there is another change coming for me once she graduates next year and moves into whatever is next for her. Trusting God for exciting new things for both you and I as we continue to seek His plan for our lives!
I read this post last year and it triggered tears. My one and only daughter was heading off to college. The story of the bears I told myself and anyone who would listen over and over. So, here we are in 2025 just about to move her back into the dorms. AND, this will be my last year teaching. I am retiring next June 2026. I am once again fighting all the emotions: sadness, anxiety, hope, excitement, etc. I am not sure what is to come. I just know some things are coming to an end. I am praying for God’s peace. I needed to hear the bear story once again. Thank you!
Hi, Tricia! Somehow I missed your comment earlier. While our circumstances are a bit different, I feel every bit of what you’re describing!
I’m sure this last year of teaching will hold so many “lasts” that you’ll want to mark, while also thinking about what’s next. Just as your daughter’s moved into a new stage of life, so will you.
With our younger daughter getting married this summer, we’ve fully stepped into the empty nest and my husband and I are getting used to what this season will look like for us. We’re praying for God’s clear direction in moving forward and want to establish healthy rhythms for ourselves.
Praying for you now, that God will give you peace and guidance and that you’ll enjoy this last year of teaching. I’m sure your career has been a blessing to many!!