As fall begins to show its vibrant colors, the air begins to cool down, and life begins to feel crispier around the edges, I feel a deep longing to reflect on life. I don’t know if it’s the sense that change is happening all around us in every moment or the fact that we are all in this life together and walking forward each day. Yet, I do know that we all are feeling the twinges of the cozy season that can pull on our heartstrings.
A conversation that has been surrounding me in the last week or so has been about how we embrace our season. I don’t mean accepting that we are currently changing our wardrobes or acknowledging the fact that we are really into a certain genre of music right now. Rather, I am talking about truly embracing the period of life we are in right now: the way we are called to serve God and love others, the conviction we are feeling within our personal relationships, or the way we show up at work.
Embracing our season is walking the path that we are on at this time of our life and living it authentically and with our entirety.
Reflect: What Season am I In?
When pausing to reflect and think about what season of life you are currently in we must look at where we have been, where we are, and where we want to go. It is much easier said than done, but this introspection is what leads us to understand exactly what we are meant to do at this time.
It may be a season of incredible change and growth and healing; it may be a season of being content and living each day fully; it may be a season of failure or grief and loss; it may be a season of giving or receiving and being connected with so many people. There is no one finite answer for anyone. However, the season we are in is exactly where we need to be.
When we understand the season we are currently in, we can begin to walk in that every day and give purpose to who we are in what we do.
Here are some great ways to start this reflection:
- Journal about what has been happening in your life recently. What is new? What has filled your cup? What has left you exhausted? Begin to whittle things down and interpret what is going on in life.
- Reflect on your past season of life and see what you are being called toward now after a period of learning.
- Speak with a therapist who can be your mirror into what your life is like right now.
- Prayerfully reflect on what God has been convicting you of, teaching you, and guiding you in.
- Think of some themes that have continued through this time of your life lately. Is it singleness, career, service, or care?
Quit the Comparison
Once we begin to recognize what our current season of life is providing for us, it is so tempting to look at other people and want to be where they are.
I am so guilty of comparing my season of life to other women in my church, my group of friends, or my family and wanting what they have. It is almost like a collage of everything I want my life to be or what I want my life to look like. Yet that image is not a reality because not all can necessarily exist at one time or in a single period.
When we are trying to find and embrace our season, we cannot look to others and wish that we were in their life. That dishonors what is meant for us and can pull our eyes from the track we are on. It discredits God’s plan for us and doesn’t allow us to fulfill what He has in store for us within this season.
As much as our world likes to put timelines, dates, and expectations on us to graduate, get married, have a perfect career, travel, and retire at certain times of life, that is not realistic. We cannot look to others and day, “I should be there” or “I want that no” because that may not be true for your timeline.
P.S. every other person is looking toward your season and wishing they had a piece of that! Enjoy where you are when you are there, knowing that it is perfectly meant for you.
Actively Embrace Your Season and Love Change
I am not trying to send the message that we should be idle in the season that we are in. Instead, I want us to live present with the season we are in, knowing that it serves a greater purpose and will soon pass.
The beautiful thing about this life is that change is always happening whether we like it or not. Therefore, our seasons will also change. That just means we are to pour into it with everything in us, because that leads to a life fully lived.
It is still important to have goals and dreams, to have plans for success, and to go out and grasp what you are wanting. But there is a balance between forever working for the “next best thing” and being exactly where your feet are while you grow.
There is so many wonderful things to learn within your season of life. Without a season of singleness, we cannot be prepared for a healthy relationship that has boundaries and makes us feel chosen. Without a season of suffering, we cannot be a light for people who are waiting to be healed or saved. Without a season of hustle, we cannot fully bask in the glory of success.
We are meant to be exactly where we are, noticing the world that is around us and crediting the fact that we have an impact every day. It may be really simple for us to walk in, or it may be the hardest thing we have ever done. But it is the human condition that brings all of these things together tha make you a whole beautiful person now matter what period of life you are in.