Winter is fading, and spring is fast approaching. It’s almost time to swap the snow blowers for lawn mowers – and snow shovels for garden shovels. I love this time of year.
Observing the change in seasons reminds me of how growth happens – through the function of seasons.
In winter, you plan.
In spring, you plant.
In summer, you cultivate.
And in fall, you harvest.
You can’t reap a harvest without properly leveraging the seasons that come before.
Life, like agriculture, reflects this principle.
By failing to leverage the season you are in, you limit your ability to grow.
John Maxwell says, “Each of us is responsible for managing the seasons of our own lives. We have all been given seeds. We all have to weather storms and drought. And it’s up to us to plant and cultivate several “crops” for life simultaneously.”
Given this, let me ask you a few questions:
What season are you in? And are you leveraging it to grow?
How are you preparing to plant the seeds you’ve been given?
If you’re in winter, are you taking time to dream, reflect, and develop a vision for what’s ahead?
If you’re in spring, are you clearing out the old and preparing for the new? Are you cultivating the soil in search of the optimal moment to plant? Will you be ready to move when your window of opportunity arrives?
If you’re in summer, are you doing the hard work of perseverance? Are you diligently laboring, weeding, and protecting? Are you willing to keep going even through the heat and sweat in hopes of the harvest?
If you’re in harvest, are you reaping and celebrating your efforts? Are you sharing your successes with others? Are you storing some for the future? Are you documenting your systems to be used again?
Each season has it’s function. No matter the season you are in, it has meaning and purpose.
And ultimately, you CAN leverage it to keep growing.
And with time, intentionality, perspiration, and planning, you WILL grow.
That’s just how seasons work.
