Starting Over: What Happens After a Huge Change?
Starting over is supposed to feel exciting, right? But all you can think about is what went wrong last time. What if it happens again?
This is exactly where Genesis 9 begins. The flood—like your personal “disaster” or big life change—is over. Now it’s time to rebuild and start fresh. But how? What promises can you rely on? What happens beneath the surface, in your awareness and your feelings, the moment a new chapter opens?
the bigger awareness sees with sunlight while you see by candlelight. Both are real, one just sees more.
What Genesis 9 Says
Let’s look at some key parts from Genesis 9 (WEB):
“God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them, ‘Be fruitful, multiply, and replenish the earth.’ … ‘Behold, I establish my covenant with you … and with every living creature that is with you’ ... The rainbow will be in the cloud… and I will remember the covenant between me and every living creature…’” (Genesis 9:1, 9-11, 13-16)
After being shut inside the ark—a container for all your feelings, hope, and imagination—you step out into a world made clean. But it feels unfamiliar, maybe even a bit scary. Now, new promises appear.
Genesis 9 Mapped to Real Life: Coming Through the Storm
Noah in this story is like your own inner voice that says, “If I listen to that deep feeling or that quiet idea, maybe things will get better.” The ark is the safe place inside you that holds your dreams while the world feels messy. The flood—the emotional overwhelm, the loss, the transition—is finally over. Now, like Noah, you stand at a new beginning.
But what do you do next? Do you just go back to the old way? Or is there something new you need to notice, to trust, so you live better this time?
Blessing Means Permission to Flourish
Genesis 9 starts like this:
“God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them, ‘Be fruitful, multiply, and replenish the earth.’” (Genesis 9:1 WEB)
This isn’t just a command—it’s a permission slip. It’s as if awareness itself is saying, “What felt stuck is over. You’re allowed to grow, dream, and try again. You can start over and fill your world with new things.”
- In business: Imagine your shop burned down, and now you have the open space to build the business how you truly want.
- In creativity: After tossing out all your old sketches, you get to fill a new notebook with fresh ideas—no old mistakes following you.
- In life: After a breakup or moving to a new city, you can decide what friendships and habits matter now.
Question for you: When have you felt unsure if you could really start fresh? Did anyone—or anything inside you—give you actual permission to try?
This is about connecting with the voice in your awareness that lets you expand and fill your “world” again, instead of shrinking back.
The World Is Different Now: Old Rules, New Meaning
One big change after the flood: The way Noah’s family relates to the world around them has shifted.
What do you do when you've survived the storm but everything looks different?
“Every moving thing that lives will be food for you. As the green herb, I have given everything to you.” (Genesis 9:3 WEB)
Earlier, people only ate plants. Now, all animals are included. This isn’t just about eating—it’s showing how, after an emotional reset or a new phase in life, you see possibilities where you didn’t before. Needs that were off-limits, resources you ignored, or new ways of solving problems—suddenly, they’re fair game. You’re more resourceful, braver, willing to consider new options.
Real-life example: After a business fails, you might start looking at jobs or projects you would’ve passed up before. Or a musician who only ever played one type of music is now, after a hard season, curious about other styles. Your inner world is bigger. You’re willing to receive more, instead of staying stuck in old “rules.”
Pause and consider: Are there things you once said “no” to—because you were afraid or thought they weren’t for you—that now seem possible?
Boundaries Still Matter: Honor the Life in Everything
But there’s still a limit.
“But flesh with its life, its blood, you shall not eat.” (Genesis 9:4 WEB)
What does this mean for you? Even as your awareness expands and you explore more, some boundaries must stay. Respecting the “life” in things means keeping a sense of rightness and care. In the creative world, this could mean not copying others, but finding your own voice. In business, it might be about making money with integrity—not just grabbing anything you can. The story is teaching that yes, you should explore, but don’t lose your inner sense of what matters.
Can you see where you’re meant to take risks, but also where you should honor your own values?
The clearer you see it, the clearer it comes.
A Fresh Commitment: The Rainbow Is More than a Sign
After the flood, God (awareness, possibility) says something huge:
“I establish my covenant with you … the waters will never again become a flood to destroy all flesh … The rainbow will be in the cloud. I will look at it … to remember the everlasting covenant.” (Genesis 9:11-16 WEB)
In the story, a rainbow appears—something beautiful after the worst is over. But it’s not just a pretty sign. It’s proof that awareness (the deepest, wisest part of you) promises never to let the “flood” (emotional overwhelm) destroy you again in the same way.
Literal meaning: There won’t be another flood like this.
Inner meaning: After going through really hard things, you change. Your inner world has more tools, more trust in yourself. The “rainbow” is the new hope or wisdom you have. When you see it—when you remember what you’ve learned—you promise to choose in ways that don’t lead back to old pain.
Pop Culture Reference: Think of families rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina, the football player known not just for his skills, but for starting over after setbacks—moving from sport to sport, public struggles to new beginnings. Every time he began again, he did so with new wisdom, hope, and a bit of “rainbow” over his story: a reminder that no storm lasts forever, and new life is possible.
What’s your “rainbow”—the clear sign that things really have changed and that you are supported in starting again?
Faith isn't blind belief. It's trying something and noticing it works.
The Problem of Forgetting: When Old Patterns Sneak Back
Genesis 9 keeps going and tells how, even after the promise, mistakes can happen:
“Noah began to be a farmer, and planted a vineyard. He drank of the wine and became drunk. He was uncovered within his tent.” (Genesis 9:20-21 WEB)
Noah celebrates—but he overdoes it. He “forgets himself,” gets lost, and ends up feeling exposed. His son Ham sees him uncovered and does not handle the situation with kindness or respect. Two other sons cover Noah, walking in backwards so they don’t see.
- Noah’s “drunkenness”: When you celebrate a win or escape a big trial, sometimes you lose focus. You relax your awareness too much, let old habits or feelings take over again.
- Ham “looking”: When you or someone else points out flaws in a raw moment, without empathy or care, it leads to more shame.
- The other sons “covering”: When you return to kindness, protecting what is vulnerable in yourself or in others, you set things right.
You can make a new promise, start a new chapter, and still trip up. But you can choose to honor what is fragile, keep your awareness gentle, and return quickly to your fresh beginning.
Awareness Expands Through Challenge, Choice, and Return
Genesis 9 is about the cycle you live every time you come through a tough season:
- Desire: Wanting things to be new, better, fuller again.
- Challenge: Facing what’s gone, dealing with fear, and trying new things.
- Choice: Deciding which possibilities you will step into, what boundaries to keep, and what dreams to rebuild.
- Return: Finding the “rainbow” that proves to you, deep down, that a new chapter really is here. Taking care to honor both your growth and your limits—so you don’t repeat old mistakes.
This chapter teaches: After any emotional “flood,” your awareness gets wider. The way you create your life becomes richer. You see more possibilities and learn to trust that new, good chapters can open.
Pause for one minute and ask yourself:
- Is there a “rainbow” in your life—a sign or feeling that things could really be better now?
- Are you stepping fully into your new beginning, or holding back out of old fear?
- Where could you show more kindness to the vulnerable places in yourself or someone else?
Key Takeaways: Living on the Other Side of the Storm
- After hardship, you are allowed—and invited—to lift up your head and start fresh.
- Your awareness has grown; new resources and paths are open to you now.
- Honor new boundaries. Respect the “life” in yourself and others as you grow again.
- Trust the “rainbow” moments—your reminders that new life is possible and supported.
- If you fall back into old patterns, return to care and integrity. You control how your story unfolds.
Simple Exercise: Notice Your Rainbow
Tonight, or sometime when you’re alone, look for your “rainbow”: something in your world—big or small—that proves you are past a hard season and can begin again. It might be:
- A safe home or bedroom, filled with light instead of fear
- An open notebook with new ideas, where old worries once filled every page
- A good conversation, laughter with a friend, or your own smile in the mirror
Write it down or snap a picture of it. When you face future “storms,” remember: your awareness knows how to rebuild—stronger, kinder, and more creative than before.
Presence is just giving things room to be more than you expected.
Next Up: Genesis 10
In the next chapter, we’ll discover what happens when all the new possibilities and ideas spread out into the world. How do you balance many desires, people, and dreams? It’s about staying connected to your source of awareness while your life grows and gets more complex. If you’ve ever wondered how to manage success or keep your sense of self as things expand, don’t miss it.
What's Next
Crisis taught you about fresh starts. But how do you find where you truly belong? Tomorrow, discovering your right fit in the world.
