The Death of the Familiar: What Can’t Come With You Into the Second Half of 2025

Death of the Familiar

We’re in the second half of the year.

It’s the beginning of July, and if you’re anything like me, you’re wondering how time flew by so fast. I meant to check in last month. I really did. But somewhere between transitions, commitments, and trying to keep up with everything; time slipped away.

So let’s get right into it.

Last week, I was driving and decided to take a different route. I’ve been taking the same road for years; a straight shot, low effort, easy decision. But this time? I tried something new. It was faster. Smoother. More efficient.

And immediately I thought, Why haven’t I been doing this all along?

The answer was simple: 

Because the old route was familiar.

Familiar Doesn’t Always Mean Best

Right then, I felt one of those unmistakable God taps, the quiet inner prompt that arrests your thoughts with clarity:

“Some things aren’t easier… they’re just familiar.”

That word hit me deep.

See, I’m a planner. I like predictability. I like to know what’s coming, anticipate the turns, prepare for the potholes. Familiar feels like safety, like control. But what if the things we call “safe” are actually keeping us stuck?

The Rest of This Year Requires Something Different

Here’s what I know: 

July marks a shift.

If you’ve been coasting or clinging to what’s known, this second half of 2025 is calling you higher. For me, that shift looked like walking away from a six-figure business I co-owned, to build something new from scratch. Something more aligned with who I am now.

It's like saying yes to unfamiliar rooms and uncharted opportunities, fully owning that I have something valuable to contribute.

It’s meant shedding imposter syndrome. 

Releasing people-pleasing. 

And trusting God to sustain me when I no longer have a backup plan.

Why? 

Because what’s familiar got me here… but it can’t take me there.

The Familiar Isn’t Just a Comfort. It Can Be a Crutch

Let’s be honest, familiar systems, relationships, and routines can feel like lifelines in uncertain seasons. They’ve stabilized us. Supported us. Helped us survive.

But if we’re not careful, they become crutches. 

And we stay stuck in cycles that no longer serve us.

This season? 

It’s about pruning.

What feels familiar may not be what’s fruitful. 

What once worked may no longer fit. 

And you have permission to outgrow what you once depended on.

Give the Familiar a Proper Goodbye

As we step into the second half of 2025, this is the season of surrender.

For me, that means acknowledging that the version of myself who clung to familiarity cannot build what God is calling me to now.

This is the death of the familiar.

No more stretching what no longer fits. 

No more trying to revive what’s already flatlined. 

No more putting energy into expired assignments.

It’s time to say:

“Ashes to ashes. Dust to dust.”