Finding Joy in God’s Rhythms and Seasons

The Lord has been teaching me lately about seasons of the year and also seasons of life.

The more I embrace the season of life I am in, both with kids and homeschooling, and the season of the year we are in, the more I find a joy and peace that I know comes from the Lord.

As it says in Ecclesiastes, there really is a time for everything.

There is a time to raise our kids, and there is a time to encourage other women who are raising theirs.

There is spring and fall, summer and winter.

There is hockey season and gardening season.

There is school season and, hopefully — unless you are a year-round homeschooling family — there is a pause in school where you are able to focus on family activities and enjoy your kids, not only as their teacher!

When Seasons Overlap

It seems that, naturally, seasons overlap. Be that when it snows in May in Alaska, when you thought spring was here, or when you find yourself juggling school, gardening, grades, and more. At times, we have more going on than we expected. We need God’s help to carefully manage it. How do we carry the load of multiple seasons without dropping anything?

I honestly don't have the answer for that, but I am learning that trying to carry too many "trays" at one time isn't feasible or sustainable. Every season isn’t for all of the things. I love to remember that when I read Proverbs 31. This incredible wife didn’t accomplish all of this in one day. Over a lifetime, she managed well. It’s little steps each day. There is no substitute for the Holy Spirit directing our next steps. When we move forward to obey God, He is faithful to give us small nudges and direction so that we can stay on His paths of righteousness. Many times, that looks like the next area of Scripture He brings us to study. What lessons will we glean from His Word in this season that will guide us in the way we should go and light our way?

A Thoughtful, Printed Bible Study for Women in All Seasons of Life

Recently, I was honored to test my friend Lindsey’s new Bible study, Walking Her Way from Driven by Grace.

(Walking Her Way is coming soon! Head over to Driven By Grace and sign up for their emails so you'll know when it is available.)

This beautiful study is a thoughtful look at seasons of life, centered on Titus 2 and the relationship between older women and younger women. Lindsey does a great dive into several pairs of women throughout Scripture. From Naomi and Ruth to Mary and Elizabeth, I thoroughly enjoyed time in both the Old Testament and the New Testament in this well-put-together study.

I am not sure about you, but there have been seasons in my life that have been a bit more challenging.

When 2020 upended life as most of us knew it, mine never really settled back the way it was before. I had been a hairdresser for ten years. I had amazing clients who were more like precious friends. While I was honestly ready to be done so I could focus my efforts on our kids and homeschooling, it was a bittersweet season to leave. I also had several dear Christian friends, and my sister, leave the state in a short stretch of time. Our daughter was born with Down syndrome, and about a year later the world, and my career, changed with COVID. It was a lot. It took me a couple of years to settle in after a season of so much unexpected change. As we got into the dark winter season in Alaska the following year, I found that I was struggling with a lot of time on my hands, nowhere to go, and not much to do. The Lord gave me an idea. He put something on my heart. You can read more about that story here.

During that time, I connected with Lindsey on Instagram. She was looking for ladies to test her Bible study, In Her Shoes — and I highly recommend this beautiful study! Through Instagram and In Her Shoes, Lindsey and I became friends from a distance. It is hard to believe this was over five years ago now, but Lindsey has been such a blessing in my life. It is neat to see how iron sharpening iron can happen in the 21st century, even from thousands of miles apart.

It has been an honor to see Lindsey develop Driven By Grace and even to see her children grow from afar in photos. If you want to know more about Lindsey and Driven By Grace, or check out her beautiful resources, you can find her here: DRIVEN BY GRACE.

Looking for a Free Bible Study?

If you are looking for a free resource to help you step into God’s rhythms and seasons from year to year, no matter what phase of life you are in, you can also check out our free study, Rhythms and Seasons. Or, to help you on your journey of prayer in every season, check out our prayer study guide, Learning to Pray the Jesus Way.

Whatever season you find yourself in, I pray you will find the Lord’s peace as you trust Him with all your heart for the next step to take.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;  in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight."

Proverbs 3:5-6, NIV

"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path."

Psalm 119:105, ESV