by Marcia Clarke
In everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under the heavens. Ecclesiastes 3:1 KJV
Every May, graduates toss up their hats to what lies ahead: the rest of their lives. My students work tirelessly on their art while in school, giving no consideration to the gift they would someday give to the world. Now, all that hard work and diligence will accelerate them into a new beginning. What a joy they must feel, knowing that this new phase of their lives brings new opportunities, independence, and a sense of freedom.
There’s nothing like a new beginning.
The same is said for those still in school who are moving a door away from their current classroom to the next instructor and level. Even these small transitions are a gateway, a time in which most students can feel a sense of accomplishment in their progress by taking the next step in their learning.
As a teacher, I see new beginnings at all levels. A student learning how to paint within the lines during an art activity, a student who started out writing the number five backward to knowing how to write it in the correct format, and finally at graduation, when I let go of the old students to welcome the new.
Each morning when we arise is a new beginning. The leaves changing in the fall signal a start of a new season. Life is a series of new beginnings. Each one is a time of growth and change.
When God called Abraham to move to a new country (Genesis 12:1-3), he had to leave his security, his people, and his father’s house. I imagine he may have had other plans for his family. A new beginning was probably not at the top of his list. Abraham was not alone; his entire family had to experience the change. But it was worth the cost, so Abraham did what he needed to do for God to fulfill his purpose and the promise.
New beginnings lead us forward to fulfill our lifelong purpose. Moses fled Egypt, became a fugitive, but was later crowned leader (Exodus 2:11-25). After Paul’s experience on the road to Damascus, meeting Jesus and receiving God’s call, his life completely changed as he stopped murdering Christians and started ministering to them (Acts 9). Peter was given the chance to start over after his denial when he met Jesus on the beach (John 21). He went from shame to purpose, when he obeyed Jesus’ command to take care of his sheep. It was a chance to start over.
How amazing it is when those breakthrough moments provide a new beginning.
“In everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under the heavens” (Ecclesiastes 3:1 KJV). Seasons come and go. Some may turn out well while others are a struggle. But never forget that in the Bible, in every new beginning, God was with his people. No matter what chapter we are in, God remains with us. He is “the Alpha and the Omega…the beginning and the end” (Revelation 22:13 NASB).
Wherever you are in this season of change, look ahead, there is a beautiful rainbow that signals hope: when God is involved, every chapter of your life holds great things.
Father, thank you for charting my life’s course and showing me the way to the purpose and the promise you have in mind. Let those who are destined in their accomplishments not become weary but continue to walk out the race with vigor and your strength, and live a life of purpose in Jesus’ name. Amen.
This article is brought to you by the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association (AWSA).


About the author: Marcia Clarke writes daily encouragement for meditation and spiritual enrichment. Her greatest passion is helping people through difficult seasons by writing practical devotions at her daily blog, Today Is Sacred. She is the author of Journey to Abundance and her latest prayer book, Thirty Days of Grace.
Join the conversation: Have you experienced a new beginning lately?