I sat at a breakfast table with a group of young men, listening as they shared about the transitions happening in their lives. One had just gotten married, another was expecting his first child, and yet another was stepping into a new job. Each of them expressed uncertainty about whether they were headed in the right direction.
“Am I doing what God wants me to? Is this the path God wants me to be on?”
Later that same week, I sat with a group of older men who were approaching retirement. They echoed the same sentiments as the young men.
“Who am I now that my career is winding down? What’s my purpose and direction for this next season of life?”
They had years of wisdom behind them, yet the shift in identity and purpose left them feeling just as uncertain as the young men stepping into new roles.
Life is full of transitions—teen years, young adulthood, marriage, parenthood, career shifts, an empty nest, and retirement. Each one brings excitement, but also a sense of instability.
Last December, I was driving up a steep hill. The road was covered in ice, and as I pressed the gas, the tires spun beneath me. The more I tried to gain control, the more it felt like I might slide backward or off the side of the road. But I remembered some advice I’d been given: apply steady pressure, keep the wheel straight, and trust that the car would grip when it needed to—and it did. Slowly, I made it to the top.
Life transitions often feel like that icy road—uncertain, slippery, and out of our control. We push forward, but fear makes us hesitate. We wonder if we’re making the right moves, worried we’ll slip backward into failure. But Philippians 1:6 reminds us:
"Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."
God started something in you, and He is faithful to finish it. Even when you feel uncertain, He is not. Even when you can’t see what’s ahead, He knows the road. That’s why, in these times, we must pray in faith, trusting God to lead us in the way we should go.
God’s goal isn’t just for us to make it to the next stage of life safely, but to continue growing in His wisdom, love, and righteousness along the way. He doesn’t want us to merely reach the top of the hill—He wants us to become more like Christ and to reflect His love to others through every life transition. That’s where our peace and confidence come from—knowing we are on the right track.
Paul expresses this so clearly in Philippians 1:9–11: "And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God."
God says that in every transition, the key to keeping your grip on the road is prayer and walking righteously according to His Word—and being His love to the world around you. When you do that, you’ll grow in knowledge and insight and bear righteous fruit in every season of your life. As we pray for spiritual growth and for the grace to love others well, we begin to discern His path more clearly. That’s what keeps us moving forward with Him—heart, word, and action all aligned with His purpose.
So if you're in the middle of a life transition, feeling like the ground beneath you is shifting, remember this: You don’t have to figure it all out. God will lead you! Grow in His love and keep pressing on in His will. No matter what season you’re entering, He will give you the traction you need. He will continue the good work He began in you. The road may feel slippery at times, but God is in control—and He will lead you safely forward.
Just keep moving forward in Him.
It’s not rocket science.
It’s the simple peace of walking with God.
Philippians 1:6 "being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."
In His love,
Pastor Tim Burt
