8/17/22
Last week I introduced the seasons of life by talking about Winter. Winter is evident when there is sadness, heartbreak, loneliness, and sickness - whether that be physical or emotional.
If you have learned, prepared, and rested through Winter, then you usher in a beautiful Spring. And that’s what we’re going to talk about today, Spring.
The season of Spring is full of hope, new beginnings, and opportunities. It’s a time of possibilities to create something new in your life. The Winter has allowed you time and space to find out what you want and what you need to create the life you love now. To live Another Beautiful Life. But here’s the deal. It’s all up to you. You have to decide this is what you want. No one can want it for you more than you do. And, therefore, no one can do it for you.
Jim Rohn, in his book The Seasons Of Life, says, “Neither spring, nor the soil, sun, or other elements care if you plant at all. It will merely present itself as the time to take advantage. Springtime will not admonish you to plant, nor will it warn of the consequences of not planting. For the tiller of the soil, springtime is without emotion. It was God who gave you the wisdom to rise from your comfortable chair and enter the fields at the right season.”
This reminds me of something I saw on Instagram. It’s the reel that says “no one is coming. No one’s coming to push you. No one’s coming to tell you turn the TV off. No one is coming to tell you to get out the door and exercise. No one. It’s up to you.” For those of you coming off a harsh Winter where there has been sadness, heartbreak, loneliness, and sickness, Spring is most critical because it sets the stage for the next coming seasons. And springtime is oh-so-very brief. If you wait too long, it’ll be over and the blaze of Summer will be here. And if you miss that brief window to plant your seeds you won’t have a harvest in the Fall. Spring is vital. It’s important. So, let’s not miss it.
Remember that it was in the season of Winter that you took time to evaluate and re-evaluate your life. It was a time to decide if you wanted to reinvent yourself, or start doing something new, or stop doing something. It was a time to decide who you are and how you wanted to create your life. Spring is the time to execute. It’s the time to act on the decisions you’ve made for yourself. And that’s why, because Spring is such a short season, it’s imperative to have done the work in Winter so you are prepared to execute in the Spring.
Remember, though, these are seasons of your life. We’re not talking about seasons of the earth which come and go at their own time. No, we may be quickly ushered into one season of life or another, but how long we stay there is up to us. The time that we spend in one season of life or another is determined largely by what we’ve chosen to do during that time. Like, in Winter, did we sit around in self-pity for the majority of the time? Or did we clear our heads and decide to learn, prepare, and rest? Now, don’t get me wrong. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with throwing yourself a pity party every once in a while. But let me just say this, your pity party should just be a party of one - you. You don’t need to invite everyone you know and love to wallow in it with you. But go ahead and wallow for a bit. Allow yourself that space. But put a time limit on it. Maybe 30 minutes, or maybe half a day, or okay, even a full day. But you’re in control of your emotions, so then just decide you’re going to shut that pity party down and move on. You’ve adequately expressed your emotions and given it the attention it needed, that’s healthy processing, so now you’re free to move on.
Okay, so move on and do what? Spring brings new possibilities and new opportunities. Spring allows you to get out of the “I have to” mentality and into the “I get to” mentality. I get to meet new people. I get to look for a job that makes me happy. I get to decide where I want to live. I get to decide how I want to spend my days or my weekends. I get to open up my heart for more love. I get to get closer to God and know Him better than I ever have before. I get to.
And once you’ve decided for yourself, you might want to keep it to yourself. Rohn say, “To take full advantage of the spring, rid your soil of the weeds and rocks disguised as the opinions of those around you in the form of worry, doubt, or pessimism. It is the fertilizer of faith and enthusiasm that will overcome the worst forms of bugs and weeds.” Listen, I learned this the hard way. Everyone that knows me knows I’m an open book. I share my life. You know this about me because you listen to my podcast. I’m a sharer. Is that a word? And so, in my excitement about a decision I’ve made for myself, or something I’ve set my mind to doing or accomplishing, I’ll tell just about anyone who will listen all about my dreams and my plans. Without a doubt, I get more words of caution than I do anything. “Oh, that sounds risky. Are you sure you want to put yourself out there like that?” “I’d think twice about that if I were you.” “Don’t you think you’ll be spreading yourself too thin?”
Don’t let other people’s worries or pessimism keep you from acting. Fertilize your dreams with faith and enthusiasm, being careful who you go to for counsel or opinions. Listen, let’s look back at that quote from Jim Rohn: “It was God who gave you the wisdom to rise from your comfortable chair and enter the fields at the right season.” End quote. It is also God who is leading and guiding you to the “next”, remember? He’s putting the vision, the dreams, the desires into your heart. For a reason. Trust Him. Trust His counsel.
The last thing I want to say is that most of the time we think being in the season of Winter is devastating; it’s a setback. But that’s usually not the case at all. In fact, there are many blooming plants that have more prolific blossoms after a hard Winter. Case in point, the Knockout roses all over the Houston area never looked so beautiful and vibrant and healthy as they did after the freeze in 2021. Your life can be the same. You can even get a little frost bit and then become the most radiate, beautiful, vibrant, healthy version of yourself that has ever been. Plant more seeds. And then more seeds. And make sure the seeds you’re planting are good, healthy, and viable to germinate. Sow good seeds. Spiritually speaking, plant the Word of God abundantly in your heart in the Spring. These are your action steps. Get into a personal, intimate relationship with Jesus. Build up your faith. Learn more about who God is and who you are as His child. Spring is the time to “Let your roots grow down deep into the soil of God’s marvelous love.” - Ephesians 3:17 - so that when the heat of the summer or the devastation of the winter comes, you’re more prepared than ever before.
What you sow today is what you will reap tomorrow - Galatians 6:7. We know that the thoughts that you think create feelings. Each thought you have produces a feeling. Or two. And those feelings compel us to act a certain way. Which give us results in our lives that we either like or don’t like. And notice, it’s our thoughts that started this chain of events. It’s our thoughts that created the way we’re experiencing our life. Knowing this, what thoughts are you going to sow today, knowing that they’re going to produce what you will be reaping tomorrow?
Friend, you have a chance at Another Beautiful Life. You may not like the way it came - the life-change - but it’s here, in Spring, for you to choose, to say “yes” just like I did. The possibilities and opportunities are endless. And they’re right there in front of you. What is something you’ll do right now to plant a good seed? It’s Spring. A time full of hope, new beginnings, and opportunities just waiting for you.
Sometimes planting our seeds in Spring means we might need a little direction and maybe even a little push to stay on track and take advantage of this short but hope-filled season. If that’s you, I’d love to be your Life Coach. It would be my privilege to help you sow into the future of your life.
I’ve put a link in the show notes for a free 30-minute call just so we can see if we’re a good fit to work together and show you how Life Coaching would work for you.
Also, don’t forget click the link in the show notes to get the free, downloadable guide that complements this episode.
Have a wonderful week, friends. See you next Wednesday for the next episode of Another Beautiful Life podcast.
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