Embracing Your Seasons: Making The “Bad” Months Count
Nature's Blueprint: A Guide to Finding Purpose in Every Phase of Life
As we are still pressing through the winter months, chances are you may not be hanging out with as many people as you normally do. In winter, it is normal for us to go through something of a hibernation nation season. With the days shorter, and the temperatures even colder, we often find ourselves quietly tucked away at home from others. Some people love this, but for some of us it can feel like isolation. An uncomfortably long season of slowness, isolation, and ‘waiting’ until summer rolls around. Just because we might be sitting in anticipation for summer time, doesn't mean we have to wait passively in our current season. We can choose to utilize every season that comes our way to our advantage—even the ones that aren’t our favorite.
Instead of dreading where you are now, waiting for the sunny days to arrive in a few months, I challenge you to lean in. Lean into your current season and discover what opportunities it has to offer for learning and growth. Trust me —there are opportunities in every season for personal development and self-improvement.
If you are in a season of isolation right now, can I encourage you? Seasons of isolation are valuable. You might be feeling isolated because of the weather or a change in your social circle. Maybe you’ve simply had a difficult time making friends and are burdened with feeling alone. Whatever your situation may be, you can allow your current season to refine you into a better version of yourself. So that when you do get the opportunity to connect with others again, you can trust that you will be a better person and a better friend for it.
Reminder: any season that you choose to take advantage of, and seek out opportunities for growth and development, will always be of extreme value to you. This is how we ensure that we are never wasting time and making the most of the life we have been given.
Even if we desire to make the most of our time, it can be hard to pinpoint exactly what we should be doing or focusing on, and how we should lean in. In the moments that I am feeling directionless, I have found it helpful to follow the calendar seasons. To take on the perspective that there is a designated space and rhythm every year—that even creation follows—for rest, growth, play, and letting go.
In the winter isolation months, God has created this natural space for us to:
Be reflective of where our heart is at and what we desire for our life
Assess what has or hasn’t been working for us
Have a chance to separate from the influence of others so you can truly hear the voices that matter. Your own voice as well as God’s.
When we embrace isolation and open our time, attention, and thoughts to what the Lord has to say, we gain clarity and direction for moving forward. God is patient, He will not yell over your friends, family, thoughts or phone to get your attention. But when we offer a sacrifice of silence and stillness, in seeking to hear and understand Him, He promises that He will answer. :*)
Scripture to read: Matthew 7:7 + Jeremiah 29: 11-13
This idea of every activity having a designated season is mirrored in scripture. In Ecclesiastes 3: 2-4, 6 -7 it reads,
“…a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance…”,
“a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak…”
There is a time for everything and a season for every activity. As the seasons change, we can take inspiration for how we can move throughout those times of the year ourselves. Here's what I believe we can learn from each season of the year.
Winter: A Time To Rest And Reflect
Just as the animals move at a slower pace and hide away for the winter to rest, so should we. As we rest, we can reflect on what is working and what isn’t. This is the time to cast your dreams and visions, setting your intentions and guiding your priorities for the year. Oftentimes, our dreams tend to expand or change as time goes on and as we gain more experience. Now is the perfect time to check in, assess what you have, and figure out what needs adjusting.
This is also a great time for personal introspection. With the seasons’ slowness, you have time to ask yourself the deeper questions. Those questions could be:
What is there you need to explore about yourself that might be keeping you from your goals and dreams?
What are your strengths and weaknesses?
What areas do you need to develop to have healthier relationships with friends, family, and yourself?
What resources do you need to accomplish your goals and dreams?
What systems can you create to get to your goals?
What’s keeping you from getting to your goals?
What do you want to focus on this year?
What worked for you last year? What didn’t?
Who do you want to be? What do you want to accomplish or have?
These questions will help us lay a firm foundation for Spring.
Spring: A Time To Build
As the flowers and plants start to grow and become what they were created to be, so do we. This is a time for growth and building systems that will help us get to our desired outcome. Drawing on the insights gained from our winter rest and reflection, we now have the foundation to build ourselves up and bloom.
Based on answering our previous questions, now is the time implement. This is when we build and implement the systems and strategies needed to move us closer to our goals.
Summer: A Time To Play
A season for joy, movement, wonder, fun and exploration. Our reward for the work we have done up until now. This is where we sit back, play, and enjoy. We are meant to be present right where are feet are at and enjoy nature, as well as the fruits of all our labor during the year. This is not to say that we can’t continue to work through these months or be reflective, but simply a reminder to pause and enjoy the goodness that’s around you.
Fall: A Time To Let Go
As the trees do, we shed off the pieces in our life that are depleted and are no longer serving us. The things that are not bringing life, taking up too much of our resources—with little or no return. This is where we take an audit of what’s currently in our lives and determine whether it needs to stay or be let go. This can range from people, habits, systems, thoughts, or limiting beliefs. And this doesn't need to be malicious or even announced. Yes, it can be a firm cutoff if that is what you need, but it could also be simply pulling back from investing time and energy into the things that aren’t investing back into us. We deserve to place our energy into the people and things that will produce good fruit in our lives and the lives of others. Our time here is too short to spend it on things that aren’t helping us reach our purpose, dreams, desires or goals. We do this to ensure that when we head into our season of rest and reflection, we are going into it with an intentional clean slate. :)
Now, I am not saying that you have to follow the calendar seasons to a T. That the second it turns to Spring, you have to stop being reflective on March 1st. I’m simply saying that throughout the entire year, there is dedicated space for all of these seasons to happen and taking inspiration from them can bring incredible value to your life.
By leaning into specific times of the year, we can deepen our self-knowledge, advance our goals and dreams, strengthen our connection with God, and discover so much more. We don’t have to dread certain times of the year, passively waiting for the next season— wishing it would get here faster. Wherever you are at right now in life, there is something valuable for you to grasp right where you stand. You can ask God exactly what that is, or better yet, you can ask Him what He wants to show you or teach you in this season. I promise, it will only benefit you. Instead of constantly wishing for the future, embrace the present moment — you can discover something powerful and transformative that will help you become the person you're meant to be, right here and now.
To your lifelong success and wellness,
Natalie
The # of times I said the word “season” in this blog post: 26