When talking with a friend and mentor recently about how a chapter of my life is coming to a close, she reminded me that life is full of seasons.
As someone who has spent decades of my life living in fear - and feeling alone in it - her words of wisdom wrapped around me like a much-needed warm hug.
Life is always changing, and that's OK. We are not meant to find one singular thing and hold onto it for the rest of our lives.
Scripture says in Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven, a time to be born and a time to die, 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 scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.”
And let's be real, some seasons are very challenging. If the uncertainty of where you are right now feels too big to bear, I get it. I'm there, too. But what I know is not to rush through any of these precious places because they are all preparing me for what's next.
Each season of life has something important to reveal because God is always preparing you for what He's prepared for you.
So first, I invite you to simply reflect on those verses above to identify where you are right now: What season am I in? Spend some time journaling about which of those descriptions feels most resonant.
I want to receive everything God has for me in this season, so my next question is for Him: What do You want me to know about this season?
Then I reflect on being at this point in my journey and really take it in: How do I want to make the most of this season?
In other words, what do I not want to miss? What is most important to me right here in this chapter of my life?
From there you can identify the obstacles keeping you from embracing what God has for you and having those things your heart longs for, and then you make a choice as to what you want to do about it.
I'll share my own example to give you an idea of what this looks like…
What I want right now is to have peace in the midst of all the unknowns, and I don't want to limit what's possible for my life in any way. I want to keep all options for the way forward on the table, and I want to spread them all out and explore what sounds fun. I know that fear and worrying about what people think are going to come up against what it is I want for myself, so I'm doing The Work to build awareness around my tendencies to play it safe and protect myself against what ifs. And I'm praying every step of the way!
Give it a try and let me know what you learn about yourself. You may find you have some of your own work to do to move toward what's next. I can help you with that if you want support. Grab time here to chat things through with me. Want to make it a virtual coffee chat? Just include that in the notes.
Life is a journey. You don't have to have it all figured out right now. Keep moving forward one question at a time.
I promise you God is making a way for you. Be brave, lean in and let it ride!