You Can't Control The Seasons or GPS
The Appeal of Transition Seasons
My favorite season is Fall. I think I enjoy the transition seasons the best, the change. This is odd, because I am not a person who welcomes change easily.
Expected Change vs. Surprises
That is not entirely true. I am okay with change if I know it is coming. It is the abrupt, unexpected change that unsettles me.
I am not all that keen on surprises. Good surprises, like someone leaving a gift on the front porch, are okay. Or if I were to come back into the bedroom and the bed was magically made, that would be a good surprise.
A Florida Fall and Our Brief Winters
I do like the change of the seasons. Fall means we are leaving the absolutely dreadful, miserable heat and humidity of Florida for a short time, anyway.
Here in the northeast corner, we get a very abbreviated version of winter. Do not scoff, you northerners, but we actually get temperatures that dip close to, and sometimes into, the freezing zone. Granted, it is short and the sun comes out very quickly, but still.
We get to wear our cute boots and winter sweaters. On those frigid days, we wear puffy coats and gloves. I even turn on my heated seat in the car.
Embracing Some Change, Resisting Others
This change I like. I embrace it. But I resist unexpected change.
Some of that is a character trait. Some of it comes with age, I think.
I just finished writing a novel about a character with that issue. She needs to know what is coming. She can handle it if she only knows. This is not something that comes with age. It has been her M.O. since childhood.
Faith, Trust, and the Need to Know
Having that need-to-know tendency creates some issues with faith and trust. We do not get to know everything. So we have to trust.
As children, we trust that our parents have it under control. I did not know how to drive, so as I sat in the back seat I put all my faith and trust in my parent in the driver’s seat, believing they knew what they were doing.
Had it been one of my siblings, it would have been a completely different story. But I trusted my dad or my mom.
The crux of the matter was not my trust or my faith but rather whom I was putting that trust and faith in.
The Only One Who Knows What Is Coming
There are changes coming. Constantly. Some we see. Some we do not.
We cannot stop them and we cannot control them. But there is Someone who has full knowledge of what is coming.
The GPS Analogy
I was telling a friend recently about how my husband and I use GPS differently. I use my phone set to turn-by-turn directions. I need to see the upcoming turn. I need to see where I am and what is coming next.
I am always worried that I am going to miss my next turn. I need perspective on where I am at that exact moment.
He, however, zooms out so he can see the entire route. He gets the full picture and follows the dot. How he can tell where we are and where to turn makes me crazy.
So most of the time we both have our phones on, with separate GPS apps leading the way to the same place. We both agree on one thing: turn the annoying voice off.
Turn-by-Turn Faith
I feel like this is how God and I navigate my life. I want the turn-by-turn. Tell me what is next.
God has the entire picture, the fully routed map in His hand. He sees the whole thing.
When I need somewhere to put my faith and trust, why would I hesitate to put it in the One who has the entire picture? God knows the full story. He knows the changes coming. He sees the end.
Isaiah 30:21: "Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, 'This is the way; walk in it.'"
Maybe God prefers us to use the turn-by-turn in our lives. We do not need to know the full picture.
The fear of the unknown may bring us anxiety, but there is peace in knowing that God not only knows what is coming but will walk alongside us through it.
"So do not fear, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10
"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." John 16:33
If you want to know more about my trust challenged character--look for the release of my novel, The Long Road Home. Available on Amazon October 22, 2025
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