Transitions require leaving the familiar and often result in spiritual transformation. This is why they are so challenging. Leaving the familiar behind calls us to move beyond established comforts, certainties, and mindsets to embrace an unknown future. To do this, we must be grounded in trust in God’s promise or leading. This process is central to God’s spiritual growth and transformation in our lives.
The story of Abram in the Bible is an excellent lesson from God, teaching us many things, especially about leaving the familiar behind. Genesis 12:1The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. [1]
The writer of Hebrews offers additional insight into Abraham’s transition, underscoring the importance of walking by faith, not by sight. Hebrews 11:8 It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going.[2]
The Stumbling Block of Leaving the Familiar
Leaving the familiar is often a great challenge and can be a stumbling block to moving forward in faith. The word ‘familiar’ is French in origin and is tied to the word ‘family.’ It would have been brutal for Abram to leave his country and his relatives. The only way he could do this without understanding the broader picture was to trust God and walk by faith.
During your spiritual journey, you may encounter moments when God tests your devotion and asks whether you are genuinely committed. Sometimes, He calls you to step away from what’s familiar and enter into unknown territory. God’s call doesn’t always require us to leave our family or job. But it has happened often in church history. God may ask us to let go of emotional attachments. When He does so, it’s rarely easy.
Anyone claiming that living by faith is simple probably has not experienced it firsthand. What do you do when God calls you to leave the familiar for the unfamiliar and doesn’t show you the final destination? Do you resist? Do you move reluctantly? Or do you implicitly trust His goodness amid every conflict and decision and move forward by faith?
God Brings Us to a Time of New Familiarity
As we walk along our spiritual journey, God often calls us to leave the familiar for something new He has for us. The good news is that, over time, what God has for us, although new and different, will become familiar. Making time to study God’s Word may require leaving something behind. As time goes by, the time you spend studying and meditating on God’s Word becomes familiar. At that point, you can’t imagine going back to your previous life patterns.
Abram would eventually arrive in Canaan, and it would become familiar to him and a place he would come to love. I have discovered in my life that the journey of faith is a process. Like Abram, you and I are under construction, with ongoing changes guided by our Savior.
To learn how transition requires leaving the familiar, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/when-god-says-go
[1-2] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Tyndale House Publishers.