“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die.” Ecclesiastes 3:1-2.

For many of us, there is a season in our lives that is coming to an end. The leaves of this tree are beginning to change colors as the time comes closer. For most, this is a scary time. It could be the ending of a relationship, or the end of a bad habit. It could be simply turning in your intent to graduate form. Whatever it is, something is coming to an end.

These times are extremely stressful. There are many uncertainties that come into play at these points in life; however, there is no reason to stress or doubt. For one thing is certain, Christ will be by your side throughout all of it. 

Now imagine this; the night is coming, and the sun is setting. You are in this forest, alone. Every muscle in your body starts to tense up as the thought of being left out in the dark takes over. Your heart starts to pound, and your hands begin to sweat. You begin to hear the inhabitants of this forest come to life. Howls of creatures unknown to you begin to flood the air. “Snap” goes a twig right behind you and the chase is on. 

You run as fast and as hard as you can through the forest. The path you once knew is now gone and nothing makes sense. The forest seems to be changing before your eyes and nothing is the same, but all you know is that the night is coming. 

This forest we call life is ever changing. The path we think we know can be washed away by the rain of these trials we experience in life. We can feel abandoned in the brush and feel as though the inhabitants of this forest are going to get us. The uncertainties of life can weigh us down or send us running deeper into this ever-changing forest with no direction. As we get deeper and deeper into this uncertainty, we begin to only see that the sun is setting.  

In our distress we lose sight of what lies ahead. We fail to notice the footprints in the ground, made by the one that came before us. He is the one who conquered this forest before we ever set foot in it. You see, someone else has already been here and he carved the path for us to follow. His path is unchanging, immune to erosion and unwavering. 

This man knew the anxieties and trials we’d face. He knew the fear we would go through in this forest. He knew that the path would be lost, so he came and made his own. This is what Christ did for us.

Christ is unchanging. Hebrews 13 says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” In this forest we need a constant, and Christ is that constant. He walked the paths we all venture now, yet the path he left in his wake is immune to the trials of this forest. It never erodes and never changes.

Once you stop focusing on the sun setting, the path Christ set before you begins to show. As you begin to follow it through this forest, the inhabitant’s howls grow quieter and quieter. The sun continues to set, but you don’t notice, because on this path the light of the one who came before you shines brighter than the sun. 

For those of us that are uncertain, scared and anxious about whatever season is ending, remember this, “Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” Moses said this to the Israelites in Deuteronomy 31. Christ will not forsake you nor will he leave you alone in this time. Trust Christ, and let the sun set, because in the darkness his light will shine brighter than the day.