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在论及变革的那本书中，作者布里奇斯打趣说：“‘作为一个领袖’，你的致命伤不是变革本身，而是变革的过渡期”。（出自他的著作《应付过渡期》）换句话说，当你习惯了（或喜欢）自己一贯做事的方法，若要改变旧的模式去接受新的常态，在心理上是需要付上极大的努力的。

尽管撒母耳起初不愿意以色列民立王，但他已习惯了周边文化中这个做法。撒母耳希望君王会为了神和百姓的缘故，去承担应有的责任。他又尽了极大的努力来引导年轻的扫罗王。撒母耳因此为扫罗的结局悲伤，扫罗本来可以成为一个伟大的王，但他却沦为神子民拙劣的领袖。

为失丧悲伤是恰当的，可是撒母耳却把自己困在那个沮丧的境况中。神因此对他说：“我既厌弃扫罗作……王，你为他悲伤要到几时呢？……我差遣你往伯利恒人耶西那里去，因为我在他众子之内预定一个作王的。”神明白撒母耳的感受，然而，现在是时候放下过去，继续前行了，祂吩咐撒母耳也要与祂一同前行。

撒母耳照办了。当他先后与耶西的儿子们会面时，他领会到他们的外貌并不是最重要，最重要的乃是人的内心。于是他不断在说：“耶和华……不拣选他。”到了最后，耶西召唤正在放羊的小儿子回来时，撒母耳便膏了大卫为以色列下一任的君王。

In his book on change, William Bridges slyly wrote, “It isn’t the changes that will do you in [as a leader], it’s the transitions” (Managing Transitions). In other words, moving from an old situation to a new normal takes tremendous emotional work when you have grown used to (and fond of) doing things the old way.

Even though Samuel had not wanted Israel to have a king at first, he had grown used to the idea. Samuel had wanted the king to do the right things for the sake of God and the people. And he had put enormous effort into guiding the young King Saul. So Samuel mourned about the man who could have been great but turned out to be a poor leader of God’s people.

Grieving that loss was appropriate. But then Samuel got stuck in that depressive place. So God said, “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king…? …I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.” God understood Samuel’s feelings, but it was time to move on, and he called Samuel to move with him.

Samuel obeyed. And as he looked first at one and then another of Jesse’s sons, he learned that it was not all about appearance, but about the person’s heart. So he kept saying, “The LORD has not chosen this one.” Then finally, after Jesse called his youngest son in from tending the family’s sheep, Samuel anointed David to be the next king.