“The Lord had said to Abram, ‘Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.’ … So Abram went, as the Lord had told him.” — Genesis 12:1, 4a
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Transition is never easy. Whether you’re an athlete facing a team trade, a coaching change, or the final whistle on your career, change is woven into the fabric of sports — and life. It’s expected, yes, but that doesn’t make it easy to embrace. And if you’ve walked with God long enough, you know He often asks us to go even when we don’t feel ready. To obey before we fully understand.
Though we believe God is in it, there’s grief in leaving good things behind. And yet, Scripture reminds us this isn’t a new story. In Genesis 12, God speaks directly to Abram and calls him to leave everything he knows. “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you” (v. 1). What follows in Verse 4 is striking in its simplicity: “So Abram went.”
Just like that, we’re told Abram obeyed. But tucked behind those three words, I imagine there was a storm of emotion. Questions, fears, tears, maybe even resistance. After all, he was leaving behind his culture, comfort and the people he loved. I picture his wife Sarai, too, trying to pack up, wondering if this was really what God had in mind. Asking maybe a dozen times a day, “Lord, are You sure?”
I get that now in a way I didn’t before as we recently packed up after living in my hometown of Boston for several years — surrounded by family, lifelong friends, and a sense of rootedness — to a place we never expected to be, where we have no history, no community, and no roadmap. All because we felt God calling us there.
Obedience is not always clean and confident. Sometimes we move our feet while our hearts are still catching up. There is grief, questioning and that very human desire to understand the “why.” But the beauty of God’s call is He never asks for blind obedience. He asks for faithful obedience, and faith often looks like walking with tears in your eyes and your hands still open. Leaving something good doesn’t mean what’s next will be bad — it may actually be better. But grieving what’s behind is still part of the process.
So if you’re in a season of transition, you can be obedient and still grieve. You can follow God while still asking hard questions. You can feel unqualified or unsure and still be walking in faith. God just needs you to keep saying “yes” — even with tears, even when your heart is still catching up, even when you don’t see the promise yet. Because on the other side of obedience is not just blessing, but deeper intimacy with the God who calls, equips and walks every mile with you.
So take the step. Stretch the tent (Isaiah 54:2). Trust the God who moves us not for our comfort, but for His glory. And as for you and your house? Serve the Lord (Joshua 24:15) — right where He’s placing you.
— Danielle Herzlich, Pro Athletes Outreach
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