Stay or Go?

Life is a winding journey comprised of many seasons. Some seasons are pleasant, some are difficult. Some are seasons we choose, whereas others are thrust upon us. We are led into some seasons by God, and others we wander into as a result of poor decisions.

The important thing about seasons is knowing and believing that they are not forever. Seasons come and seasons pass. It is equally important for us to recognize when it might be time for a season to end.

For now, I’ll focus on seasons initiated by God. Often God will call us into something—perhaps He called us to live in our current location, or to work in our current job. But lately it seems the passion and calling you once felt has dimmed. You feel restless in your spirit. You start to sense…maybe it’s time to move on.

But then the inner conflict starts.

“Didn’t God call me to do this?”

“I feel fickle thinking about doing something else.”

“I can’t just abandon what He called me to do!”

And this is where the importance of recognizing seasons comes in. God may very well have called you to be where you are. And He may just as well be calling you now to move on.

I was reading in Numbers, and this passage caught my attention: “Whenever the cloud lifted from over the sacred tent, the people of Israel would break camp and follow it. And wherever the cloud settled, the people of Israel would set up camp. In this way, they traveled and camped at the Lord’s command wherever He told them to go. Then they remained in their camp as long as the cloud stayed over the Tabernacle.” (Numbers 9:17-18 NLT)

The Israelites got it. They understood that where the cloud was, so was God’s presence. And where God’s presence was, they needed to be. To break camp before the cloud had moved on would have been to remove themselves from underneath His protection and guidance. But just as important, staying in camp after the cloud had moved on would result in the same.

Moving forward can be hard. It can even be scary. But if you sense God has been nudging you to move on, then you need to prayerfully open yourself up to His leading. If you stay where you are when God says, “Go”, you will be missing out on a life lived under His sacred blessing.

Is it time to stay, or is it time to go?