January 22nd, 2026
by Pastor Steve Crutchfield
by Pastor Steve Crutchfield
Finding Peace in the Midst of Life's Transitions
Life moves in seasons. Sometimes they're predictable, like the changing weather patterns we experience year after year. Other times, they arrive unexpectedly, catching us off guard and leaving us scrambling for solid ground. Whether we're experiencing the warmth of spring's new beginnings, the abundant growth of summer, the reflective quiet of fall, or the harsh stillness of winter, one truth remains constant: God is present in every season, and we can trust Him completely.
The Divine Design of Seasons
From the very beginning, seasons were part of God's intentional design. Genesis 1:14 reveals this truth: "Then God said, let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night. And let them be signs for signs and for seasons and for days and for years."
This isn't just about weather patterns or calendar dates. The law of first mention—the biblical principle of understanding a concept by examining where it's first introduced in Scripture—shows us something profound. When God established seasons at creation, He embedded intentionality into the very fabric of existence. Every season, every transition, every change carries divine purpose.
Ecclesiastes 3:1 reinforces this truth: "There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens." Nothing in your life is random. The challenges you're facing, the transitions you're navigating, the uncertainties keeping you awake at night—God sees them all, and He has a plan.
The Control Problem We All Share
If we're honest, most of us don't actually have a change problem. We have a control problem.
We live in a culture obsessed with controlling outcomes. We binge entire seasons of shows to avoid waiting. We research anti-aging techniques, trying to control time itself. We carefully curate our lives on social media, presenting polished versions of ourselves while hiding the messy reality underneath. We've convinced ourselves that if we can just gather enough knowledge, make the right plans, and execute them perfectly, we can control our seasons.
But this isn't new. This struggle began in the Garden of Eden when the serpent whispered that devastating lie: "You will not certainly die." In other words, "You can control this. You know better than God. His boundaries don't really matter."
That lie still echoes through our lives today, telling us we can manage everything on our own, that we don't need to fully surrender to God's timing or His ways. It keeps us stuck in what could be called "liminal space"—that uncomfortable threshold between where we've been and where we're going. We stand at the doorway of something new, but fear, doubt, and our need for control stretch that small moment into months or even years of paralysis.
The Path Forward
The solution is simultaneously simple and profoundly difficult: we must open our hands.
Take a moment right now. Physically open your hands and look at them. What are you holding onto that God is asking you to release? What relationships, fears, dreams, failures, or secrets have you been clutching so tightly that your spiritual knuckles have turned white?
God won't force your hands open. He's a gentleman, waiting for you to willingly surrender what you've been trying to control. But here's the beautiful truth: He often won't speak clearly about your next steps until you make that move of faith. His Word is "a lamp unto your feet and a light unto your path" (Psalm 119:105). You can see your feet right now, but you can't see the entire path ahead. That's intentional. God wants you to trust Him with each step, not to have the whole journey mapped out before you move.
God's Peace in Every Season
Perhaps the most powerful promise we have is God's peace. Not the temporary, circumstantial peace the world offers, but something far deeper.
Isaiah 26:3-4 declares: "You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast because they trust in you. Trust in the Lord forever. For the Lord, the Lord himself is the rock eternal."
The Hebrew word for this peace is "shalom"—a peace that means completeness, wholeness, lacking nothing. It's not the absence of trouble, but the presence of God's sustaining power in the midst of trouble.
Jesus Himself promised this in John 16:33: "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
Notice He didn't say "if you have trouble" or "you might have trouble." He said you WILL have trouble. Difficulty is guaranteed. But so is His presence, His peace, and His victory.
The Beauty in Every Season
When we look at the natural seasons, each has its purpose:
Ecclesiastes 3:11 promises: "He has made everything beautiful in its time." Not beautiful despite the season, but beautiful IN its time. The difficulty you're walking through right now has purpose. God is working, even when you can't see it.
Breaking Free
Many of us have allowed our past to rename us. We carry labels that don't belong to us: failure, unlovable, sick, broken, not enough. These are the enemy's lies, designed to keep us stuck and separated from God's truth about who we are.
You are not defined by your mistakes, your struggles, or your circumstances. You are made in the image of God. You are loved, highly favored, and called to purpose. The banner over your life isn't shame or inadequacy—it's Jehovah Nissi, the Lord our Banner.
Whatever lie you've been believing, whatever label you've been wearing, today is the day to leave it behind. God is calling you to something greater than your past, something more powerful than your pain.
So what season are you in right now? What is God removing from your life? What's growing? What is He doing around you?
If you keep finding yourself stuck in the same patterns, returning to the same struggles, perhaps there's a piece of God's love you haven't fully accepted yet. Maybe He's trying to teach you something you haven't learned, not as punishment, but as an invitation to know Him more deeply.
The altar isn't a place of judgment—it's a place of surrender and strength. Coming to God with your weakness, your doubts, your struggles isn't failure. It's faith. It's the recognition that you need Him, that you can't do this on your own.
Today, will you trust God with your season? Will you open your hands and release control? Will you step through that threshold you've been standing at, trusting that His peace will guard your heart and mind?
He's waiting on the other side of your obedience. He sees you. He knows you. And He's inviting you to trust Him completely, knowing that every season—no matter how challenging—is part of His beautiful, intentional design for your life.
Life moves in seasons. Sometimes they're predictable, like the changing weather patterns we experience year after year. Other times, they arrive unexpectedly, catching us off guard and leaving us scrambling for solid ground. Whether we're experiencing the warmth of spring's new beginnings, the abundant growth of summer, the reflective quiet of fall, or the harsh stillness of winter, one truth remains constant: God is present in every season, and we can trust Him completely.
The Divine Design of Seasons
From the very beginning, seasons were part of God's intentional design. Genesis 1:14 reveals this truth: "Then God said, let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night. And let them be signs for signs and for seasons and for days and for years."
This isn't just about weather patterns or calendar dates. The law of first mention—the biblical principle of understanding a concept by examining where it's first introduced in Scripture—shows us something profound. When God established seasons at creation, He embedded intentionality into the very fabric of existence. Every season, every transition, every change carries divine purpose.
Ecclesiastes 3:1 reinforces this truth: "There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens." Nothing in your life is random. The challenges you're facing, the transitions you're navigating, the uncertainties keeping you awake at night—God sees them all, and He has a plan.
The Control Problem We All Share
If we're honest, most of us don't actually have a change problem. We have a control problem.
We live in a culture obsessed with controlling outcomes. We binge entire seasons of shows to avoid waiting. We research anti-aging techniques, trying to control time itself. We carefully curate our lives on social media, presenting polished versions of ourselves while hiding the messy reality underneath. We've convinced ourselves that if we can just gather enough knowledge, make the right plans, and execute them perfectly, we can control our seasons.
But this isn't new. This struggle began in the Garden of Eden when the serpent whispered that devastating lie: "You will not certainly die." In other words, "You can control this. You know better than God. His boundaries don't really matter."
That lie still echoes through our lives today, telling us we can manage everything on our own, that we don't need to fully surrender to God's timing or His ways. It keeps us stuck in what could be called "liminal space"—that uncomfortable threshold between where we've been and where we're going. We stand at the doorway of something new, but fear, doubt, and our need for control stretch that small moment into months or even years of paralysis.
The Path Forward
The solution is simultaneously simple and profoundly difficult: we must open our hands.
Take a moment right now. Physically open your hands and look at them. What are you holding onto that God is asking you to release? What relationships, fears, dreams, failures, or secrets have you been clutching so tightly that your spiritual knuckles have turned white?
God won't force your hands open. He's a gentleman, waiting for you to willingly surrender what you've been trying to control. But here's the beautiful truth: He often won't speak clearly about your next steps until you make that move of faith. His Word is "a lamp unto your feet and a light unto your path" (Psalm 119:105). You can see your feet right now, but you can't see the entire path ahead. That's intentional. God wants you to trust Him with each step, not to have the whole journey mapped out before you move.
God's Peace in Every Season
Perhaps the most powerful promise we have is God's peace. Not the temporary, circumstantial peace the world offers, but something far deeper.
Isaiah 26:3-4 declares: "You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast because they trust in you. Trust in the Lord forever. For the Lord, the Lord himself is the rock eternal."
The Hebrew word for this peace is "shalom"—a peace that means completeness, wholeness, lacking nothing. It's not the absence of trouble, but the presence of God's sustaining power in the midst of trouble.
Jesus Himself promised this in John 16:33: "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
Notice He didn't say "if you have trouble" or "you might have trouble." He said you WILL have trouble. Difficulty is guaranteed. But so is His presence, His peace, and His victory.
The Beauty in Every Season
When we look at the natural seasons, each has its purpose:
- Spring brings new growth after winter's pruning. Dead things are cut away, making room for fresh life.
- Summer is a time of abundant growth, warmth, and activity. Spiritually, these are seasons when God's presence feels close and life feels full.
- Fall invites reflection and release. Leaves change and fall, reminding us that some things need to fade away to make room for what's next. It's a season for repentance, for letting go of relationships or habits that no longer serve God's purpose in our lives.
- Winter can feel harsh and empty, but it's often the most nutrient-rich season spiritually. Like snowfall that blankets the earth, releasing minerals into the soil as it melts, winter seasons prepare us for the growth that's coming. The silence isn't God's absence—it's an invitation to deeper intimacy with Him.
Ecclesiastes 3:11 promises: "He has made everything beautiful in its time." Not beautiful despite the season, but beautiful IN its time. The difficulty you're walking through right now has purpose. God is working, even when you can't see it.
Breaking Free
Many of us have allowed our past to rename us. We carry labels that don't belong to us: failure, unlovable, sick, broken, not enough. These are the enemy's lies, designed to keep us stuck and separated from God's truth about who we are.
You are not defined by your mistakes, your struggles, or your circumstances. You are made in the image of God. You are loved, highly favored, and called to purpose. The banner over your life isn't shame or inadequacy—it's Jehovah Nissi, the Lord our Banner.
Whatever lie you've been believing, whatever label you've been wearing, today is the day to leave it behind. God is calling you to something greater than your past, something more powerful than your pain.
So what season are you in right now? What is God removing from your life? What's growing? What is He doing around you?
If you keep finding yourself stuck in the same patterns, returning to the same struggles, perhaps there's a piece of God's love you haven't fully accepted yet. Maybe He's trying to teach you something you haven't learned, not as punishment, but as an invitation to know Him more deeply.
The altar isn't a place of judgment—it's a place of surrender and strength. Coming to God with your weakness, your doubts, your struggles isn't failure. It's faith. It's the recognition that you need Him, that you can't do this on your own.
Today, will you trust God with your season? Will you open your hands and release control? Will you step through that threshold you've been standing at, trusting that His peace will guard your heart and mind?
He's waiting on the other side of your obedience. He sees you. He knows you. And He's inviting you to trust Him completely, knowing that every season—no matter how challenging—is part of His beautiful, intentional design for your life.
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