What season of life are you in? If you’re not sure what I’m asking, take a moment to reflect on your life. Have you noticed that life comes in distinct stages, periods, or themes? For the purpose of this post, we are going to refer to these themes as life’s seasons.
There’s an excellent example of life’s seasons in the movie, The Pursuit of Happiness
In a nutshell, the movie details Chris’ journey from brokenness to happiness. Chris narrates this transformation with the following phrases:
- This part of my life is called “internship.”
- The next part of my life… this part right here? This part is called “being stupid.”
- This part of my life… this is called “happiness.”
See, different life seasons. Likely, your life has them too.
Narrating Your Story
Today, while driving to work, I heard Will Smith speak. Apparently, I’ve chosen Will as the narrator for my own life. While fighting traffic on an overcrowded San Diego highway, Will Smith proclaimed, “Jed, this part of your life… This part right here… This is called ‘scrambling.'”
You see, I’m in a hectic season of life right now. I’m working hard, running the rat-race, and doing my best to keep up.
Identifying Your Season of Life
Past seasons of life my included:
- Learning
- Growth
- Pain
- Rest, and
- Joy
Twists and turns happen all of the time. When they occur, I rename my season. The bad news is that you and I often don’t get to decide what happens to us. The bright side is we get to decide how we will describe each season we encounter.
How Will You Describe Your Season?
While we don’t get to choose many of the events that happen to us, we always get to decide how we will respond to the circumstances around us. The words we use to describe our season of life make an enormous difference.
- Is your life difficult right now? You can choose to describe your circumstances as a season of growth, a season of learning, or a season of pain.
- Do you have extra time on your hands? Then you will have to decide whether you are in a season of boredom or a season of rest.
- Are you busy? Then you might be in a season of stress, a season of scrambling, or a season of adventure.
The choice is up to you. To enjoy life to it’s fullest, be sure to choose a name that frames your season in a positive light.”You are not a victim of circumstance. You get to choose how you will respond to each season of life.
Embracing Each of Life’s Seasons
Naming our seasons helps us to embrace life’s changes. Years ago, I heard an entire sermon preached on Luke 2:1a. This brief portion of Scripture states, “And it came to pass…” The preacher honed in on the fact that seasons come and go. The season of life you are in right now–whether good or bad–will eventually fade.
- If you are in a happy season of life, embrace it. Enjoy every moment to it’s fullest.
- If you are in a difficult season of life, endure it. Pain doesn’t last forever. Know that there is hope and that this too shall pass.
- Perhaps, you are in a season of personal development, learning, and growth. If so, then expand your knowledge as much as you can.
- Are you scrambling, like me? Then try new things. Test your limits. Discover what you are made of.
Tonight, as I edit this post, I am keenly aware that I can’t keep up my current pace forever. Yet, I’m choosing to enjoy the ride. One day, when my kids are grown, we’ll have a conversation about the busy seasons of life. I’ll help them examine if they need to let some activates go or make the intentional choice to be busy for a time. I’m choosing to embrace my season of scrambling.
Life’s Seasons in Scripture
Ecclesiastes 3:1 states, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” This poetic passage concludes with the proclamation that God makes everything beautiful in His time.
Looking back, I can see how God has used the painful seasons of life to help me mature. God supplied the restful seasons to help me rejuvenate. I believe my current seas of scrambling is a time of discovery and refinement. Eventually, the unimportant activates will fall off, and the ones of value will remain.
Choosing to Change Your Life Season
Seasons can change in an instant. The loss of a job, a death in the family, the birth of a child, an unexpected promotion at work, or winning the lottery are all ways that life can shift in a heartbeat.
Seasons can also change by choice. If you are unhappy with your current season of life, you have the power to change it right now. Today, you could enter a new season by:
- Changing careers.
- Returning to school.
- Starting a project, writing a book, or taking up a new sport.
- Beginning or ending a relationship.
- Taking out a loan, renting a motor home, and embarking on an adventure across the United States.
I’m not suggesting that you actually commit to any of these activities. I’m simply reminding you that you could if you wanted to. There is power in choice, and most of the time, we have more options than we realize.
Oh, and there is one more choice within your reach. You can choose to embrace the season you are in. You can decide to learn from it, grow, and trust that God will make it beautiful in His time. You will never life this season of life again. You might as well enjoy it to the fullest!
Continue the Conversation
I would love to hear from you. Use the questions below for additional reflection and discussion. Or, keep the conversation going in the comments below.
- What words would you use to describe your current season of life, and how is God using this time to refine you?
- What have some of your past seasons been?
- Which of life’s seasons are you most looking forward to right now?
- Do you need a season name change? Would changing the name of your current life season help you view this time in a more positive light?
- What other thoughts about life’s seasons would you add?
I look forward to continuing our conversation in the comments below!
Jed, love this reminder and tips on the seasons of life. The season of life I am in is 2 fold, the ministry side is a little crazy right now since it is football season. In my life we are going through a trying period that has also been a time of learning how to grow closer to God. God is teaching me a lot right now and just molding me between all that is going on. God is good and He gives strength through every season.
Hey Jeremy,
Amen! And know that you and your family are in my thoughts and prayers.
Thanks for joining in the discussion too! I just discovered that Akismet has been filtering out some excellent comments–yours included 🙁 Hence my late response. The good news is now I know how to double check for this and correct it.
Wishing you and your family a blessed week as you go through this learning and trying season of life.
Though I write often, and most would say I have a strong facility with words, I’m actually having trouble describing this time in life as one succinct “season.” It’s difficult to parse out what is the “season,” and what is just the effects of the season.
One thing is for sure. It is a season of big change. With the book out in print fairly recently, all the promotion and opportunity that comes with that, building momentum with speaking engagements, my whole group of kids I mentor having changed drastically in the last year, an unforeseen need to be moving soon, close friends having major life changes like marriage and/or moving away … it can be a lot. It’s almost impossible to maintain any set routine.
I know I will make it through. I ask myself, “Will this matter in a year?” often; and for most things, the answer is no. So I just hold on, adjust, take the adventurous parts as they come, at times grit my teeth, and press forward. All the while, I am taking my own advice from the book and blog to heart with great intention:
“You always have a choice.”
“Misery is a choice.”
“Start from where you are, not where you wish you were.”
And so many others. For anyone who thinks I’m writing just for other people – think again! It’s every bit as much for my own ability to center and choose happiness as for anyone else.
Yes, it does most certainly sounds like you are in a season of change. Lots of adventure and uncertainty. Congrats again on the print copy of your book–I’ve got my copy sitting on my desk.
And I know exactly what you mean about writing for one-self. So often the words I write, are exactly the things that I need to hear, and practice myself 🙂
I’m in a summer season, bearing fruit after several years of God pruning me and cultivating growth. But I’m learning to not expect to bear fruit indefinitely. After summer comes autumn, which is a time for pruning so we can flourish again in the coming spring, and bear even more fruit in the next summer season.
I like this addition of correlating your current season with each of the actual, four seasons. With your journey of pruning and preparation, it sounds like this summer season is well deserved and much needed too 🙂