There is an intricate dance between the difficulty of making changes in our lives and a profound trust in God to guide us through. When we have to make the decision to leave something behind and start anew, there is an emotional toll and a fear of the unknown. However, there is much to be learned from endings and new beginnings, and how sometimes we end up finding peace in the midst of our turmoil.

Emily P. Freeman is a spiritual director and author who hosts The Next Right Thing Podcast. Emily shares practical thoughts on how to navigate change, taken from her new book, How to Walk Into A Room: The Art of Knowing When to Stay and When to Walk Away. Stephanie May Wilson is a Tedx speaker, author, and podcaster who speaks to young adults who are facing crucial years where they will make some of their biggest life’s decisions, and advises them on how they can faithfully move forward by trusting God with their questions and their fears.

Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:

Jesus Calling Podcast

Jesus Calling

Jesus Always

Jesus Listens

Past interview: Reba McEntire

Upcoming interview: Jesse Hutch

Emily P. Freeman

The Next Right Thing Podcast

How to Walk Into A Room: The Art of Knowing When to Stay and When to Walk Away

Stephanie May Wilson

Tedx speaker

Create A Life You Love

Interview Quotes:

“I have a lot of compassion for anyone who is standing in the threshold of a room that they have been in for a really long time, and maybe feel a really deep sense of belonging, to walk out of that room into something that could be amazing and beautiful, but something that also might come with some risk.” - Emily P. Freeman

“In reality, there is both beautiful and terrible in probably every space that we're in. And so if we decide to walk away, I think it's so good to do it with our eyes wide open, not just at the hesitations, but also to the gifts, so that we're having a truer experience of not only the room, but also our leaving of it.” - Emily P. Freeman

“I truly believe God is always aware of us, that God is fully love and fully attentive and and God will not let us miss our own future. Which means that as I make my decisions, I'm not making them in a room by myself.” - Emily P. Freeman

“Even if I make a move in a direction that turns out terrible and I learn something from it, God was still with me. And in that move, I am becoming someone. Because what is infinitely more important than the decision that I make, ultimately, is the person who I am becoming as I make my decisions.” - Emily P. Freeman

“True peace is not the absence of discomfort or conflict, but it is an inner brokenness and an inner wholeness and an inner knowing that even though chaos may be all around me, I can still be aligned with what I know and who I am, I can live in congruence with my own core values, with my true identity, with the common good, with my life and God.” - Emily P. Freeman

“The ‘everything era’ really is this super tricky period of time where a bunch of different forces are pushing and pulling us in different directions, and where I think it leaves us constantly feeling like we're falling short and falling behind.” - Stephanie May Wilson

“I don’t know that I knew that I got to participate in my life. I felt like there was one exact right way to do it, and I had to figure it out. And if I couldn't figure it out, then I was going to mess it all up. And I think that that's a really big lie that I had to combat.” - Stephanie May Wilson

“I started to learn that a beautiful life isn't one size fits all, and that there are a whole bunch of different ways that life can be lived, that are all right and beautiful and good and God-approved.” - Stephanie May Wilson