In seasons of transition, leadership is tested as much as it is revealed. Dontá McGilvery reflects on how shifting roles and uncertainty have shaped his understanding of resilience, trust, and spiritual grounding. Rather than treating change as disruption alone, he challenges leaders to see it as formation—an opportunity to lead with greater humility, awareness, and dependence on God.
The last two years of my life have been a rollercoaster of employment transitions. I have moved from Pastor on staff to administrator in a university setting, to professor, to Interim Pastor, and now to teaching at a K–12 school. Each transition has involved the loss of a previous role, primarily due to shifting institutional climates and the redirection of each professional space. The constant changing seasons of my life have been accompanied by fear, anxiety, doubt, frustration, and hope. Yet hope endured. From hope, I learned to trust. From trust, I gained a sense of security despite the unknown that still lies ahead.
Shifting seasons often take us through some of the most intense journeys of our lives, testing the strength of our faith. Have you ever experienced a difficult season that caused you to ask, “What is happening?” or “Lord, is there something I have done to deserve this?” At times, we interpret hardship as punishment from God; as God being against us. That is exactly what Job’s friends believed about Job—that the cataclysmic events he faced had to come as a result of Job’s sin. After all, Job lost his house, all 10 of his children, all his livestock, his reputation, and his health—all in one day. Talk about shifting seasons.
Scripture, time and again, shows us this was not the case; hardships are not always a punishment from God. What if, instead, God allows disruption not to destroy us, but to develop us? For instance, when the disciples were on the boat and Jesus was asleep, they cried out, “Master, do you not care that we are perishing?” Jesus then calmed the wind and the waves and responded, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” (Mark 4:40). The storm in the midst of the sea was not designed to destroy the disciples; it was an opportunity for them to increase their faith in Christ. In moments of transition, the deeper question is not only who we run to, but how quickly we turn to Jesus. The sooner we call on Jesus, the sooner we have His peace in transitional periods and the more our faith is strengthened.
I have seen this truth play out in my own life. In my own experience, I recognize that if hope had come more quickly, I may not have endured the same waves of discouragement. My family witnessed my frustrations and fears, as I was not always as present as I needed to be at home. My children observed that I was often less patient than usual. These were the side effects of struggling to maintain faith in uncertain seasons. I cannot fully calculate the time I lost while dwelling in despair. Yet God’s grace remained sufficient, and I have learned valuable lessons about preparing my heart for transitions in ways that honor God, so that I do not respond in the same way again.
The primary lesson I have learned about transitions is that they don’t end; rather, we must learn to budget for them. You read that correctly: we have to budget for transitions. By “budgeting,” I mean preparing our hearts in advance for the inevitability of change. Just as we budget for our weekly or monthly finances, we also have to budget for transitioning seasons. To do so, we first have to redefine the term “transitions.”
We often think of transitions as major life events such as loss, career changes, retirement, unemployment, homeownership, or marriage. While these are significant markers, transitions also exist in the smaller rhythms of daily life. They are the minor chords on the grand piano of our existence. Choosing different clothing because of unexpected weather changes or reorganizing a day’s schedule are also forms of transition. These everyday shifts remind us that change happens constantly. Redefining transitions in this way helps us become more familiar with shifts as they come because we realize we have seen this before. The more familiar we are with day-to-day transitions, the more comfortable we feel handling the bigger ones.
So, how do we actually budget for unexpected shifts in life? Through humility and awareness. One of the most practical teachings on transition is found in the book of James, often considered one of the most practical books in Scripture. James teaches us how to approach life with humility and awareness of God’s sovereignty. In James 4:15, we read, “Instead, you ought to say, ‘If the Lord is willing, we will live and do this or that.’” This verse reminds us that we are not ultimately in control—God is. Our lives move according to God’s will, and He remains the master narrator of our story. When God allows shifts to occur, they happen regardless of our preferences. It would therefore be wise of us to “budget” for change in our hearts, preparing ourselves spiritually for uncertainty.
Try praying now, in good seasons, that God will open your eyes to the transitions you experience daily. Once God reveals those moments, ask God to prepare your heart to trust His plan and let Him lead you from one decision to the next. Praying in this manner prepares the heart for the shifting seasons of life.
Ultimately, transitions are not interruptions to life but invitations to growth. They teach us resilience, dependence on God, and awareness that change is part of our spiritual formation. When we embrace transitions with faith rather than fear, we begin to see them not as setbacks, but as sacred opportunities for transformation.
Related Resources
- A Journey of Faith and Transformation: My Ministry in Las Vegas by Khalif A. Smith
- Listening When You’re New In Town by Luke Edwards
- How To Make a Good Entrance by Hannah Adair Bonner
- Letting Go of This Pastor and Preparing for the Next by Susan Beaumont
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