Changing with the Seasons of Life

The changing of the seasons, whether natural or in life, is inevitable. It’s how we move through these seasons that make a difference in our lives. And we have a choice. We can fight the changes, kicking and screaming, or embrace them with a comfortable level of acceptance. Listen in as we talk about how to recognize the changes as they come, the best way to make the transition with grace, faith, and purpose. 

Transcript

We’re in the early days of seasonal changes. Summer is packing up the last of the heat and humidity, and the cool days of fall are moving in. In some areas, like down here in the south, it takes summer a little bit longer to clear out. In other places, like up north, fall has already settled in and is making itself comfortable. Such it is with all the seasons. It just depends on where you are as to what you will experience. 

It's the same with life. Ecclesiastes 3:1 tells us ‘There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the sun.’ Just as the natural world goes through the seasons of Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter, so do we, as humans. It’s how we move through these seasons that can make a difference in our lives. And we do have a choice. We can fight the changes, kicking and screaming, or embrace the transitions with grace, faith, and purpose. 

To better understand how we can compare the natural seasons with the seasons of life, it helps to put them in a human perspective - Spring would be our season of youth and new beginnings, Summer would reflect our time of personal growth and productivity, Fall would be a season of harvest and slowing down, and Winter would be our time of rest, reflection, and an opportunity to impart what we’ve learned over the course of our lifetime in order to help prepare the younger generations for their seasons to come.

With each season comes different challenges, changes, and opportunities. Today, we’re going to explore how, over time, our goals, daily lives, and priorities shift with each new season, and learn how to embrace the changes, and adapt our lives to make them as full of wonder and beauty as the natural seasons can do.

First, we’ll take a look at what happens in each season.

In the spring of our lives, our personal growth begins. We become curious, explore and test boundaries. We begin to dream about our futures, and search for a way around roadblocks and obstacles. Our talents are beginning to emerge, and we experiment with them. This is also the season where we begin to learn basic skills and start the learning process on how to improve them. 

Summer is a season of productivity. We’re still young and have the energy to do more, but at the same time, we start to become a bit more focused. Our talents are becoming clearer, skills stronger, and we begin to take a closer look at those childhood dreams. We begin to think about which ones we want to keep and which ones we want discard. Or we find new dreams and passions. It’s from those dreams we choose to keep where we begin to do the work on building the life we want to live.

Fall is a time I would I call our ‘rearrangement’ season. We recognize the changes that are natural, such as aging, retirement, or an empty nest. Some of us use this time to rediscover some of the dreams we once had and begin to resurrect them.  Others are simply happy with the status quo. And a few of us start looking at new dreams and exploring their possibilities.

During our winter season, we begin to settle into the life we have. We look back and reflect over the life we’ve lived. We are slowing down and learning to embrace the joys of each and every new day. We begin to reflect on the lessons we’ve learned and do our best to impart the wisdom we’ve gained to the younger generations.

As each new season approaches, we need to learn how to embrace the changes. But changes can be hard to accept. It requires letting go of what we know and having to explore the uncharted territories of the unknown. It can be a scary place to find ourselves. 

After all, we’ve just learned all the lessons life has been throwing at us and have become comfortable with how things are going. To have to make changes now means we may have to give up what we love and start the learning process all over again. Growing pains aren’t just relegated to young children as their bodies grow. They also apply to the changes in life we have to make as we move from one season to the next. 

Change in life is inevitable. Some are so small and gradual, we may miss seeing the shift. Others have a huge impact, and we often wonder what just hit us. But how do we even know when our seasons are changing? 

One of the first ways we can see change approaching is to watch and pay attention to the shifts in your circumstances. This could be meeting new people, beginning a new career or changing jobs, moving to a new place, children leaving home, welcoming a new family member through birth or marriage or even the loss of a loved one. 

Your inner voice may also start talking to you through a sense of curiosity about something new, an inner restlessness, dissatisfaction with the way things are, or even a strong desire for something more. 

Your emotions may also begin to shift. This usually shows up through a heightened level of stress, anxiety, or even frustration. You may notice a higher and unexpected feeling of excitement or curiosity. Or, you could also experience an inner feeling of peace, or even relief.

Another way you can feel the changes coming is when you begin to lose your passion or interest in some of the activities you are currently involved in. And you may find yourself with a growing desire for a change of pace, or to slow down and readjust your focus on things that are most important to you, such as family, faith, your home, or even your passions. 

As much as we don’t want to accept them, challenges and major life upheavals could also be a sign that changes are on their way. This could be a child going to college or moving away from home, retirement, health issues, or again, even the death of a loved one. 

These growing pains can be embraced with grace, or we can fight them ‘tooth and nail’, as my mama used to say, or in other words, go to war with them. 

To fight the changes, you would basically ignore those changes and continue on the way you are going. But handling it this way could also mean becoming stagnant, and very possibly missing out on new and enjoyable things. To fight the changes may also add stress, anxiety, depression, and prevent you from enjoying life. Refusing to accept the natural changes of life can also bring bitterness, distrust, and even possibly anger, frustration, and sadness. 

On the other hand, learning to accept the changes of life with grace will bring happiness and fulfillment to a life well lived. We may feel contentment, and even learn new things that may bring us an overall enjoyment of life. You may also feel a sense of peace and find yourself looking forward to the possibilities that may be coming your way.

When the seasons of life begin to shift, learning to adapt to the changes and embracing them with grace may even make it easier to traverse and accept them.  

 We first begin the adapting process by seeking clarity. Being able to see clearly what is taking place will help us to make informed decisions. This may mean taking time out of your busy schedule and truly thinking through the changes, as well as the similarities and differences. Ask yourself a couple of questions: How will staying where you are hurt or help you? How will accepting and embracing the changes impact your life? 

Self-care and spiritual nourishment are also some of the best ways to maneuver through the adjustments changes can bring. Eating well, exercising, daily devotionals and prayer time, and even a bit of pampering can go a long way towards helping you see things more clearly. 

When you face the negative emotions, it helps to lean into them, rather than suppress them. This doesn’t mean to hang onto them, but rather study them and see why a change is making you anxious, stressed, or frustrated. This in turn can help us to understand the changes better, how to adapt to them, and understand how embracing them, rather than fighting them, can be a good thing. 

When new responsibilities or roles arise, whether that be when you have children, start a new job, or move to a new location, it helps to look for the bright side of things. Look for the positive aspect in the changes, rather than dwell on the negative things. This may also be a time to declutter your physical space or adjust your schedule to allow for more time to focus on the new things in your life.

If you simply lose interest or your passion for things you used to love, don’t allow guilt to settle in. Instead realign your priorities and allow your curiosity and excitement the opportunity to explore, learn and experiment.

Understand that life, relationships, and locations will evolve over time. It doesn’t necessarily mean you have to completely give up what you now have and love. But even those things may shift and, for a lack of a better way of saying it, need to be ‘redesigned’ to fit with your current season. But with each new season, it may also be time to focus on and nourish the new and be willing to set aside or let go of the things that no longer fit or work for you. 

Changes in the seasons are inevitable. Our springs will turn into summer, which will shift into fall, then change into winter, until it returns back to the spring. 

We, as people, may not be able to go back to our spring seasons, but we can adapt and embrace the ones ahead of us. By staying connected to our faith, life purpose, and priorities, we can maneuver the changes with grace, acceptance, and an open heart and mind. By doing this, we may just discover we are living the best life possible, enjoying each season as it comes, and looking forward to the dawning of the new seasons we have before us. 

Whatever season you’re in, learn to embrace it wholeheartedly. See changes as opportunities for growth, new beginnings and a deeper faith. And let your spring season of curiosity, wonder, and excitement be the golden thread that ties them all together. Just because you can’t literally return to your childhood, doesn’t mean you can’t take a piece of it with you.