Does each new season of life come abruptly for you? In certain seasons, this change may be warmly welcomed. But in others, this shift feels like the rug has been torn out from under your feet.
Each season is unique and special, both in its pain and healing. But what if I told you that joy can be found in every season, even the most difficult?
Every individual’s life is different, but I often think of life as having five general seasons (not always cycling in the same order).
- A season of preparation (also thought of as waiting, though I’ll explain the difference in word choice momentarily)
- A season of loss
- A season of trials
- A season of rest and healing
- A season of new opportunities
Now, once again, I’d like to clarify that our lives are too complex to be minimize and shoved into a set of five boxes. However, for the sake of simplicity, we will stick to these five main categories for today. I also realize that my life doesn’t mirror everyone’s lives, but I will use personal illustrations because these seasons have been so clearly reflected throughout my past year.
I use the word preparation rather than waiting because I believe we are waiting in every season. In a season of preparation, we are eagerly anticipating what’s to come. In a season of loss, we are waiting for the pain to ease. In times of testing and trials, we are waiting for our hard work and persistence to pay off. When we are recovering from fast-moving seasons, we are waiting to feel ourselves again. And when we are being restored, we are waiting to see what comes next.
Yet, through everything, we can still have hope and joy.
The SEason of Preparation
I distinctly remember this season starting. I had just graduated and the future felt so bright and hopeful. Yet, I was overcome by a sense of longing, a desire to move forward faster. Little did I know all that lie ahead.
Now, I firmly believe that preparing is an active word. When we feel stagnant in our current states, we must take the time God is giving us to be with Him, encourage others, and spend time in the Bible. We must be ready for what’s to come, yet ultimately trusting God with whatever the future holds.
How can we have joy when life feels boring?
We can reflect on the past and all that God has done through our different stages of life. We can develop our dreams and see how they align with God’s will for us. We can get excited about the future while being intentional about noticing what’s beautiful in the present.
More than any other season, intentionality is key as we prepare for what God has in store for us. Our time won’t feel wasted when we know our efforts are being put to good use.
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Ephesians 2:10
The season of loss
This is arguably the most difficult season to find joy. When a loved one or a dream is stripped away from us, we are left feeling wounded, abandoned, and empty.
During this season, we are tempted to escape from the deep healing God is trying to stir within us. Last summer, I experienced loss and a sense of impending doom for the future. I wanted to run away from my problems, and I tried to do that, only to be faced with the truth.
God only wants the best for us. When we are experiencing pain, He is using that to draw us closer to Him. That doesn’t mean we should belittle our pain or brush off the efforts of others to relieve it.
Rather, we should allow ourselves to feel the depth of our pain and heartache. We may not always be in safe places to do this, but when we are given the opportunity, we must be honest with our feelings.
I have often found that my most intimate moments with God come out of seasons of disappointment, loneliness, and grief.
Allow yourself to be immersed in God’s comfort and love. Let these truths sink in:
You are loved.
You are important.
This person, this dream, this opportunity matters.
Your feelings matter.
You are going to get through this, one day at a time.
You can still find joy in this season by realizing you have the unique opportunity to feel God’s very presence in your life. You are able to relate to Jesus’ pain in a way you never have before. And ultimately, this season will lead to deeper healing.
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.
2 Corinthians 1:3-7
The season of Trials
This season may feel as difficult as the season of loss, yet for different reasons. Instead of feeling immense sadness or grief, you are faced with feelings of frustration and discouragement. You may even wonder whether or not you have a purpose.
You may be tempted to give up when the end feels so far away, yet our greatest strength comes from our most trying circumstances.
We experience the most growth during our tests of faith and perseverance. This growth should not be taken lightly. It is a true gift to be able to develop the skills and characteristics God has placed within us.
We can find joy in the fact that we are becoming more and more like Jesus the longer we follow Him and allow His love to infiltrate every aspect of our lives.
Yes, you are being challenged, and yes, you deserve time to rest. You may feel stretched to the limits, perhaps both emotionally and physically. But you can trust that this time is not being wasted.
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
James 1:2-4
The season of rest and healing
Though some would rather choose to “skip” this season, we all must take the time to rest and heal from the strain life puts on us.
You are not weak for needing rest. You are not weak for needing time to heal. You are certainly not weak for asking for help during this season, whether it be from a trusted mentor, a close friend, or a professional skilled in helping others work through trauma.
Now, this season may not come after the “most traumatic incident of your life”. We need to periodically take the time to recover so that we are able to show up as our best selves during the seasons that ask a lot of us. Even the most skilled warriors and leaders in the Bible took time to rest. God commanded it, that’s why He built it into our weekly schedule.
But our society makes us feel insufficient when we aren’t able to carry the weight of the world alone any longer. How can we respond to that with joy?
By accepting the fact that yes, we are all insufficient. We need Jesus to carry our burdens with us and give us the deep healing we desire. And once you accept the restoration Jesus offers, you will begin to feel fully yourself, deeply known and loved by God.
Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. For we also have had the good news proclaimed to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed. Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said.
Hebrews 4:1-3
THe Season of New opportunities
I have recently come out of a season of healing. Though I put every last bit of myself into my work, relationships, and education, I plummeted into the season of healing as a shell of myself. I am so thankful to have had several weeks to rest and do things that bring me joy. This has prepared me for the season I believe to be entering, a season of new opportunities.
Over the past few days, I have been overwhelmed by new opportunities and fresh starts. Never have I actually entered a new year with this many changes.
While this is exciting, it is also slightly frightening. After so much has happened, it is hard to believe that good can really come out of life.
During this season, we face immense pressure to be grateful and happy. But we can’t force those feelings. Gratitude is important, but must come wholeheartedly. Happiness doesn’t last, not the way joy does.
Perhaps you are also in this season, or have experienced the desire to be joyful, yet you aren’t sure how to make these feelings appear.
The truth is, joy comes slowly but surely. It isn’t necessarily the initial spark of excitement or eagerness that comes when an opportunity is first presented to us. It isn’t even the relief that comes once things work out. It is in the process of trusting that God is using our gifts and diligence for good.
So, despite the unknowns lying ahead, you can have hope that everything will work out according to God’s faithful plan.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
2 Corinthians 5:17
The Will to Wake Up 