Seasons change, so must you; God does not
Martha Olawale
“He changes times and seasons; he deposes kings and raises up others. He gives wisdom to the wise. and knowledge to the discerning.” Daniel 2:21
If I have to name the different seasons of life I’ve walked through, they’ll be too many to count. I have enjoyed many good seasons and endured a few challenging ones. Through each, I learn and grow, cry and laugh, fall and rise, and while the last builds on the former, no two seasons of my life have looked exactly the same. Bottom line, seasons change, and so must I.
No one is created static; we grow even if we do not move a limb. While the core of my life’s mission remains the same, the seasons in each country and state I’ve lived in have been a big contrast to one another. I am never the same person who steps out of one season to the next, and not just physically. I always leave with something more than I came into each season with, and sometimes, that means with a new victory, assignment, challenge, or an itchy scar I must allow God to heal.
My priorities have always been God, family, and ministry, and navigating them now looks totally different from how it did in the past decades of my life. For instance, in Florida, I spent a lot of time with people coming into my home to be refreshed by my family’s company and mentorship. Today, while I still have people visiting our home, the ministry aspect of my life is now more outward, reaching people whom I might never meet on this side of Heaven. If I’d approached this season with the same expectations as the prior season outside obedience to God, I would have tried to duplicate my assignment and experiences.
It’s more about priorities and principles than it is duplicability. The three core priorities (God, family, and ministry) remain the same. However, the specifics and dynamics of those priorities have changed significantly over the past years. In terms of family, while the principles of teaching my children to honor God and be responsible citizens of the world remain the same, I no longer have to teach them how to spell. While God is at the heart of everything, then and now, the capacity and methods of honoring Him with my life continue to evolve. I am serving my family and the world with the same devotion to God, albeit in different ways.
We know that there is safety in repetition and comfort in past experiences, but God does not always want us to carry the same things into the next season; “Just as I did it yesterday mentality.” Things must change; the people, the method, and the place. What I’ve learned navigating these complexities is the importance of leaving each season with the core mission, but not repeating the specific demands. We must allow God to heal us if we have sustained any wounds from one season, and be patient as we listen to what He wants to do with our lives in the next.
Just like a seed, each process of its growth looks different, but the source for its growth remains the same: sun, water, and care. Regardless of the season, our need for God is constant, and His love for us is steadfast. We can rest assured in God’s faithfulness, that He who held us through the past seasons is capable of carrying us this season. Lamentations 3:22-23 says, “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
1 Thessalonians 5:24 says, “He who calls you is faithful; He will surely do it.” It does not matter whether we are riding on a high horse of joy or walking through the billows in any season; our understanding of God's place eliminates the fog of pride in good seasons and hopelessness in challenging ones. If you are in His will, He will fulfill His promise to accomplish everything. God is steadfast, faithful, consistent, able, and will uphold you.
