seasons
Recently I was reminded that some things are confined to a specific season in our lives - jobs, communities, friendships, and life trials. Trying to process the truth and reconciling my desire to not let go, I wrestle with the inevitability of seasons and the impact seasons have on each of our lives.
Merriam-Webster defines “season” as follows:
a time characterized by a particular circumstance or feature
a suitable or natural time or occasion
an indefinite period of time
a period of the year characterized by or associated with a particular activity or phenomenon
a period associated with some phase or activity of agriculture (such as growth or harvesting)
a period in which an animal engages in some activity (such as migrating or mating)
the period normally characterized by a particular kind of weather
a period marked by special activity especially in some field
a period in which a place is most frequented
one of the four quarters into which the year is commonly divided
the time of a major holiday
a period of time when a series of new television shows, plays, etc., are being shown or performed
Reading the definition of the word “season”, I am struck by the differences between a natural/calendar season and a season of life.
Calendar Seasons
Our 12 month calendar is broken into 4 seasons, roughly: winter, spring, summer, and fall.
Each season brings to mind specific words and celebrations.
Winter: cold (or at least cooler), boots, sweaters, Christmas trees, lights, resolutions, soups, hot chocolate, snow, Christmas, New Year’s, Valentine’s Day.
Spring: beautiful weather, flowers blooming, bright colors, new life, spring cleaning, birthdays
Summer: hot, shorts, tank tops, flip flops, swimming, vacations, more birthdays, Independence Day, watermelon, relaxed schedules
Fall: first day of school, structured schedules, leaves falling, cooler weather, Thanksgiving
As each season approaches and we unconsciously prepare for the change, we transition. Our rhythms transition from no school schedule to school beginning. Our clothing changes as we put away the sweaters and long sleeves and pull out the shorts and t-shirts. Our meals often transition from hearty, warm foods to cooler, lighter foods. Our calendar fills with different holiday gatherings and celebrations. We don’t necessarily think about these changes, but we transition from one season to the next because we know what to expect.
Seasons of LIfe
When you reflect on the life you have lived thus far, you will most likely see the seasons of your life. Childhood, high school, college, young professional, married and beginning your family, moving, job changes, raising teenagers, empty nesting, and everything in between. We experience seasons of growth, harvest, and pruning. Unlike calendar seasons, these life seasons sneak up on us and we don’t see them coming. Often we mark them as seasons towards the end or after, because it is then that we look back and recognize that a new season had begun. During the life season change, I am not following a previously laid out pattern of behaviors in regards to how to enter or exit the season. One of the most difficult parts of a season of life is that it is not a collective experience. I may be experiencing a transition with a new job and move, but my family and friends are not experiencing it at the same time. The change of seasons can feel lonely and uncharted.
Seasons of life don’t follow a schedule. They don’t begin at a certain time and end on a certain date. They are different from one another and it is hard to rely on past experiences in order to go through the seasons.
I cannot trust that I will always know what to do in the moment, in the season.
I may not have company during the season.
I may feel lonely and lost.
I may feel creative and have great growth.
I may experience pruning of friendships or self.
I may experience great fruit from a previously difficult season.
I may experience sadness or anxiety.
I may experience confidence and joy.
Each season is unique to my experience and who I am.
If I cannot predict the seasons of life, then how can I experience contentment and peace in the midst of them? How do I transition from season to season?
I remind myself that…
“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 pluck up what is planted;
a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
a time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace.”
From the beginning of time the natural/calendar seasons existed because of the way God created the earth and sun and the way in which our earth rotates around the sun. Seasons of life have also existed since the creation of man. It is not a unique experience to just me. Today I remind myself to be present and recognize that although I feel alone, I am not.
The entirety of the calendar is made of four seasons.
The entirety of my life will be made of numerous seasons.
Both are outside of my control.
Both are for my good.
I paused as I wrote this and searched for the song “Seasons of Love” from the musical Rent. The lyrics are such a beautiful reminder that each moment is ultimately part of a season of my life. Below are a portion of the lyrics.
Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes
Five hundred twenty-five thousand journeys to plan
Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes
How do you measure the life of a woman or a man?
In daylights, in sunsets
In midnights, in cups of coffee
In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife
In five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes
How do you measure, a year in the life?
In truths that she learned
Or in times that he cried
In bridges he burned
Or the way that she died
It's time now, to sing out
Though the story never ends
Let's celebrate
Remember a year in the life of friends
As I transition from one season to the next, I will recount the moments in my life that make up that specific season of life.
In times of growth and in times of pruning, I will give thanks.
In times of sadness and in times of joy, I will give thanks.
In the winter and in the summer, I will give thanks.
I will give thanks!
“Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!”