Eight: A Season of New. Beginnings

It’s the eighth month of the year.

And this year, August feels a little different to me.

The number eight is often associated with new beginnings, renewal, and starting again in the Bible. And when I think about where I am in my life right now, that meaning feels especially relevant.

I’m approaching graduation. I’m growing into adulthood. I’m learning how to lead Bible study with my family. I’m thinking about my future and the person I want to become.

I feel like I’m standing between who I’ve been and who I’m becoming.

And honestly, that can be both exciting and scary.

Outgrowing Who I Used to Be

One thing I’ve been realizing lately is that growth sometimes requires you to outgrow yourself. Not because the person you were was bad, but because they were preparing you for the person you’re becoming. College has changed me in ways I didn’t expect. I’ve learned about school, but I’ve also learned about relationships, responsibility, boundaries, independence, faith, and myself. There are things I used to tolerate that I don’t anymore. Things I used to believe about myself that I no longer believe. Things I used to be afraid of that I’m learning to face. And I think that’s part of growing. Sometimes God changes your environment because He’s trying to change you. Sometimes He removes things because they no longer fit where He’s taking you. And sometimes the thing you have to leave behind is an older version of yourself.

Graduation: Closing One Chapter

Graduation has been on my mind a lot lately. For so long, college has been a major part of my identity. Being a student has been my normal. But now I’m getting closer to the point where I have to step into something completely different. And that’s exciting, but it’s also a little scary. Because graduating means leaving something familiar. It means moving from “What classes am I taking next semester?” to “What am I doing with my life?” It means making bigger decisions about my career, my finances, my future, and the life I want to build. But I’m also learning that closing a chapter doesn’t mean losing everything that happened in it. I’m taking the lessons with me: 

The friendships.

The challenges.

The failures.

The accomplishments.

The moments where I questioned myself.

The moments where I proved myself wrong. All of it helped shape me. And now I get to take everything I learned and step into something new.

Growing Into Adulthood

Nobody really prepares you for how strange it feels to become an adult. As a kid, adulthood sounds like freedom. But when you actually get here, you realize it also comes with responsibility.

You’re responsible for your choices:

Your money.

Your relationships.

Your future.

Your boundaries.

Your time.

Your relationship with God.

And I’m realizing that adulthood isn’t about suddenly knowing everything. It’s about becoming responsible enough to admit when you don’t know something and mature enough to learn. I’m still figuring things out. I don’t have my entire life planned. I don’t know exactly where I’ll be five years from now. But I’m learning to trust that I don’t need to know every detail to take the next step.

From Being Taught to Teaching

Something else that has made me recognize my growth is leading Bible study with my family. That responsibility means a lot to me because I’m still growing in my own relationship with God. I’m not standing in front of my family pretending to have everything figured out. I’m learning alongside them.

And honestly, sometimes I think God gives me topics to teach because He knows I need to hear them too. If I’m talking about forgiveness, I have to examine my own heart. If I’m talking about faith, I have to ask myself whether I’m actually trusting God. If I’m talking about discipline, I have to look at my own consistency. If I’m talking about becoming better, I have to be willing to become better myself. Leading Bible study has reminded me that you don’t have to be perfect to pour into people. You just have to be willing to keep growing.

God Is Still Making Me

One of the hardest things about entering a new season is wanting to know exactly what comes next.

I want to know what my career will look like.

I want to know where I’ll live.

I want to know what opportunities will come.

I want to know what God is doing.

But sometimes God doesn’t give us the entire plan. He gives us the next step.

Philippians 1:6 says: “He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.”

That reminds me that I don’t have to be finished. God is still working on me.

I’m still learning.

I’m still growing.

I’m still making mistakes.

I’m still becoming.

And that’s okay.

A New Beginning Doesn’t Mean Starting Over

I think sometimes we hear the words “new beginning” and imagine that we have to completely start over. But I don’t think that’s always what God means. Sometimes a new beginning means taking everything you learned from the previous season and moving differently because of it. I’m not starting college over. I’m finishing it. I’m not starting my relationship with God over. I’m going deeper. I’m not starting adulthood from nothing. I’m bringing everything I’ve learned with me. And I’m not becoming a completely different person. I’m becoming more intentional about the person I want to be.

Becoming Who God Called Me to Be

I think that’s the biggest thing I’m learning in this season. I don’t need to have everything figured out. I just need to stay willing.

Willing to grow.

Willing to change.

Willing to listen.

Willing to let go.

Willing to trust God.

Willing to become.

Because right now, I’m becoming a graduate. I’m becoming an adult. I’m becoming a leader. I’m becoming someone who can pour into my family. And most importantly, I’m becoming more intentional about the woman God is calling me to be. So as we enter the eighth month of the year, I’m asking myself:

What am I becoming?

What am I outgrowing?

What is God asking me to let go of?

What am I afraid to step into?

And where is God creating a new beginning in my life?

Because maybe August isn’t just another month. Maybe it’s a reminder that there is still time to become. Eight months into the year. Eight representing new beginnings.

And I’m realizing that I don’t have to wait for January, graduation, a new job, or a completely different season to start becoming who I’m called to be. I can begin again right now.