What Are You Carrying into the Next Season?

As a new season begins, it’s easy to carry old fears, unhealthy habits, and painful memories into the future without realizing how much they affect your peace. Proverbs 4:7 reminds us that wisdom and understanding are worth pursuing above everything else. God invites you to reflect on what you’ve experienced, recognize what He has taught you, and release the burdens you were never meant to carry forever. Preparing for a new season isn’t just about decluttering your home or organizing your calendar. It’s also an opportunity to examine your heart, strengthen your faith, and seek God’s wisdom for the road ahead. Through prayer and reflection, you can learn to hold on to the lessons from difficult seasons without continuing to carry their worry. Discover how to surrender yesterday’s burdens to Jesus, recognize the blessings in your life, and move forward with greater clarity, gratitude, and confidence in God’s direction. Highlights Why reflecting on past seasons can help you recognize what is weighing down your heart and mind What Proverbs 4:7 teaches about pursuing God’s wisdom above material possessions and regrets How to release past worries to Jesus while holding on to the valuable lessons you’ve learned Practical ways to declutter your home, calendar, habits, and spiritual life as a new season begins Questions to help you identify your priorities, recognize meaningful relationships, and understand what brings lasting peace How prayer and gratitude can help you appreciate God’s blessings and prepare for what comes next Why moving forward in faith means keeping your eyes on the future rather than remaining stuck in the past Click to Listen to Signs of Life: UM News Podcast Season One | UMNews.org Join us this Fall for Season One of "Signs of Life," an original podcast from UM News. The journey begins in Atlanta, hearing how a book from an icon of the Civil Rights movement is bringing relationship and understanding to two congregations seeking to bridge divides. Then to Belfast, learning about the Northern Ireland Peace Process and the Methodist connection that was—and is—an essential part of healing and peacemaking. Finally, at the Global Young Peoples Convocation in Dublin, explore the world of translation and interpretation through diversity, language and culture. UM News Podcast Season One | UMNews.org Do you want to listen ad-free? When you join Crosswalk Plus, you gain access to exclusive, in-depth Bible study guides, devotionals, sound biblical advice, and daily encouragement from trusted pastors and authors—resources designed to strengthen your faith and equip you to live it out boldly. PLUS ad free podcasts! Sign Up Today! Full Transcript Below: What Are You Carrying into the Next Season? By: Lia Girard Bible Reading: The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding. — Proverbs 4:7 (NIV) As a Christian, I'm very familiar with the truth that Jesus’ yoke is light. That taking his teachings to heart and living by them is liberating. He offers each of us the continual opportunity to cast our cares on him and trust him for the outcome. I know this can relieve me of weighty mental and spiritual burdens. Yet I still have to make myself stop and take inventory. Because I can collect a lot of worries along my way. I can wind up choosing to carry around some unnecessary things season after season, or year after year ... because I haven't learned to let go of their memory. What’s more, their buildup can start to control the way I’m living now. Have you ever noticed this habit in yourself? It’s natural. Each of us accumulates experiences that wind up causing a multitude of effects in our lives and hearts. However, thanks to new mercies, tomorrow is always a new day, and a new year is always ahead. Wherever and however you live, you may encounter seasons when it feels right to examine your life spiritually and physically to prepare for the months ahead. In any of these time passages, you may decide to declutter your home, your calendar, your perspective, or your heart. Even though life up to now may have cost you time, money, or peace, Proverbs 4:7 advises that the best thing to bring forward with you is the wisdom you find in it all. This isn’t to say you can’t own boxes of seasonal decorations or keep special items. It’s to encourage you to explore what might be weighing you down, and then decide what you’ll carry. Parsing through all you’ve gathered seasonally is a practical way to discern wisdom. You can then lay things of the past at the feet of Jesus, and move forward enlightened. You can also look to the book of Proverbs for direction. A large portion of this treasury was authored by King Solomon to teach us the value of wisdom. He asserts that wisdom is “the principal thing” to gain in life and urges it above all else. I find it interesting that a leader who likely had amassed a family and a comfortable life doesn’t advise you and me to hold on to things, riches, or regrets. In fact, he says that wisdom is worth the cost of all you have. Throughout Proverbs 4, King Solomon explains that the wisdom you gain (otherwise known as the valuable lessons that are maturing you) can guard your heart, keep you on the right path, and protect you from ruin. So, what has this past season taught you about what you value most? Have there been special places, people, or purchases that have entered your life or continue to shape you? Have you noticed a habit or commitment that’s making a positive impact? What does all of this show you about what kind of life brings you peace, and what kind of person you desire to be? As you look forward to what’s next on your calendar, I hope you make time to answer questions like these for yourself. And then you can, as Proverbs 4:25 advises, “Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you,” and keep on learning. Intersecting Faith & Life: As a new season approaches, consider these ideas: Mark off time to bring your past burdens to God in prayer and ask for His wisdom Pencil a decluttering day on your calendar and donate at least one physical item from your life that no longer serves you and could serve someone in need Try to articulate the lesson learned from a hard season and commit to holding on to the wisdom, not the worry List three things, blessings, or relationships that you truly love and thank God for them Make yourself a promise to spend a little less money on purchases and a little more time with people who need you, including yourself Further Reading: Isaiah 43:18-19 2 Corinthians 5:17 Romans 12:2 Philippians 3:13-14 Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.