Sometime around mid-October, I was at a conference and I had such a strong sense it was a FULL CIRCLE moment for me. I shared that with a friend, and last week when I saw her again, she said that the word really hit her and she has been hearing confirmation about COMING FULL CIRCLE ever since. A few others that I mentor have also been bringing up instances of FULL CIRCLE events in their life and transitions this year.
Experiences, people, places or events have a way of enabling us to recognize the cycles of life and the passage of time.
We generally tend to think of our life transitions in a linear manner, with beginnings and endings. But the truth is, transitions also progress in a cyclical pattern. When you think of a full circle, imagine a straight line that gets connected at both ends – closing the loop, metaphorically speaking.
The meaning that immediately comes to mind is COMPLETION.
Circles are about beginnings connecting to endings.
Why are FULL CIRCLE events significant?
Closure – Full circle experiences provide us with the opportunity to attend to our unfinished business so that we can appropriately close the chapter and move on to the next phase of what life is inviting us into.
Healing – we also get an opportunity to receive healing and/or restoration during these times. Because of our brokenness, things to tend to break or fall apart, we get disappointed, hurt or even disillusioned under the tremendous weight of life. We drop the ball or we miss the plot. Full circle experiences are God’s way of giving grace to us, to repeat or return to places where we can “put things back together.”
Celebration – full circle events also serve to unlock gratitude and deep appreciation for how far we have come in life. We experience deep affirmation as we return to a familiar beginning, to notice how much we have grown, risked, trusted or stayed committed to the life that we have been given. Not one of us knows the future, but when we “return”, we can look back and see the past from the standpoint of the present, which fills us with greater hope and gratitude to trust for more unfolding of destiny and the future.
Taking Stock – These experiences help us know that life is not just a series of random events. I particularly love this, because this is one of my strong life themes – I love tracing patterns and connecting the dots. Similar to closure,
How do you recognize a full circle moment in your life?
Here are a few examples:
When people from previous seasons suddenly show up in your life in a way that you couldn’t have planned.
When you find yourself at a physical location or place that holds great significance to you from your past.
When opportunities similar to the ones you had in the past present themselves again, perhaps something God used to train or establish you in the past now presents you with an opportunity to give input or give back.
When tension or conflict repeats itself with your family, friends or co-workers. You are no longer triggered but are presented with an opportunity to bring forgiveness or healing to some unresolved person or aspect of your life.
When you finally have the Finances to do something that was previously impossible – like fulfilling a dream
When You find yourself in a position that enables you to do what you previously couldn’t do, or you were possibly passed over because you didn’t fit the bill and then you get to be the person who later gets to sponsor or open the door for others like you.
Full circle experiences remind us of how much divine timing and justice play a part in our lives. We learn to discern God’s movement through
I’m sure you are thinking of profound experiences like these in your life as you read this Blog?
In closing,
Generally, I always make time to reflect and bring completion at the end of every year. I like to close the loop by taking stock, journaling, reflection, gratitude.
This year, I sense there’s a bigger LOOP to close. 2019 is a significant ending, as we approach 2020.
2019 – I perceive this year as a transition year that will usher us into 2020.
2020 is a stunning repetition of 20 and 20. I notice the repetition and it speaks to me of a “year of doubling”. Life seems to be accelerating, transitions are rapidly overlapping. I don’t know about you, but I need my capacity to double up.
Numbers and sequences speak deeply to me. They enable me to track with DIVINE ORDER. I looked up the significance of the number 20 in the Bible and it says that:
“Number 20 in Bible symbolizes the cycles of completeness. It is not so widely used, but often it is connected to a perfect period of waiting, labor or suffering that is compared to a trial and rewarded. Jacob waited 20 years to get his wives and property and to release from his father-in-law. Solomon was building house for himself and God it total for 20 years, until he got a place to live. Jabin the Canaan king was oppressing Israel people for 20 years, until they Deborah and Barak managed to release people from the trouble. God told Abraham that if he finds at least 20 righteous people in cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, he will not ruin them.
I know the last 7 years (a cycle) have been full of intense transitions for many. There have been “birth pains” and “warfare” during the waiting seasons.
As 2019 concludes, may it be full of FULL CIRCLE experiences for you so that you
My prayer for you is that your labor, prayers, persistence,
Are you bringing CLOSURE, closing the LOOP and creating SPACE for the NEW DECADE?
Written by Grace Samson-Song
Grace has been curious about transitions from a very young age. She currently consults and assists people to get unstuck in the areas of life purpose and calling, career choices and personal development. She is the founder of The Maximize group and the Author of Crossing Intersections.
