Nicole D. Hayes, Founder, Voices Against the Grain

Have you ever stayed in something longer than you should have? I have. Whether it be a career/job, relationship, volunteering or other, there are roles and spaces we occupy that can become so routine that we ignore the precious signals indicating a season change. The season change prompts us to put to bed old things so God can bring us into the new. Thus, it is important to discern when God is bringing you into a new season so you have room to transition, prepare and embrace for what is being birthed in your life. To several things you will likely need to say, “I quit” or “I resign” or “I’m moving on.”

Since early spring 2015, I’ve been in a gradual transition to enter God’s new season for me. A 10-year public relations professional,  a volunteer with a few ministries and organizations, there are places, roles and titles as of late from which I’ve resigned or have reduced my time expended toward. These items are not bad. God has been shaping me for some time, developing me for the new.

Part of this new path (which has also meant enrollment in grad school) is the burden God has placed upon my heart to mentor at-risk youth here in Washington, D.C. Not simply sharing an encouraging word and passing them by—but true in-the-trenches work that will require my one-on-one time, extending others greater compassion and patience when their lifestyles conflict with mine. This new season aligns with our Voices Against the Grain ministry objectives to “bring clarity and restoration to deception, to educate and equip, to encourage and to love in truth.” Too often we see the moral decay overtake our communities and watch it play out day after day, night after night on our local news stations. We may not know what to do because the issues seem far beyond solving. We may also hope that if it gets intolerable enough, someone will fix it so that we can continue our lives comfortably and uninterrupted. I wonder how many people who could help have subcontracted their abilities and expertise hoping someone else will step in—all to preserve their comfort?

Should you choose to not subcontract your calling to someone else in order to preserve your comfort, and should you choose to bed the old and embrace your new season:

Be advised: God will stretch you. You will be placed in unfamiliar spaces. You will need to fully rely on God.

Know that: God has already equipped, predestined and qualified you for this. Others may be confused and intimidated by your transition. Fact is, God has always been preparing to reveal you and your calling at the appointed time. God will also bring to you the people, provision and other resources to help you carry out your new season.

The joy: When you put to bed the old, you’ll discover that God has so much more in store for you—different and greater than you imagined!

Ecclesiastes 3 tells us that there is a “time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven,” “a time to plant and a time to uproot” reads verse 1. Some seasons are about planting while other seasons are designed to uproot old routines so that the “new” can be planted and take root.

Are you ready to quit the old so you can embrace the new?

-Nicole

Nicole D. Hayes is the founder of Voices Against the Grain, a bold teaching ministry launched in May 2013. Nicole’s purpose in creating Voices Against the Grain is to be light in darkness, to boldly instruct truth amid confusion so as to bring clarity and restoration.

Learn more about Nicole D. Hayes here.