The Natural Rhythms of Life and Seasons

 

Hello Friends!

It's the first Monday of January and normally I would be chomping at the bit to start something new, because after all...new year, new month, new week...you get the idea. But this year I'm learning something that I've honestly never thought about before and it's really going to change the way I look at time and seasons from now on. 

I (and seemingly the rest of the world), have always looked at January as the time to get our act together, start life again, do better, set goals, resolutions and be a better version of ourselves than we were just a few weeks ago. And you know what? Most of us fail within weeks of all the best laid plans. 

So imagine my wonder when just recently I saw something on Instagram that talked about the seasons according to God, not the world, and it really made so much sense. Now I've seen others talk about it (hi Billie Jo!) and it's changed my perspective in the best of ways.

For years, I would jump on the January bandwagon of self-improvement and fail soon after. I never really got my act together on the new budget, any kind of goal, or cleaning out last year's files, until around March - 3 months into the new year. Every year I felt like a failure for it taking so long to conquer these tasks that I knew were important, but every year I would keep the same rhythm and not get going until March or so. 

What I'm just now discovering is that this is the natural rhythm of life! I wasn't failing; I was reacting to the natural seasons, as God has laid out, with the winter months being slow and deliberately less productive, even regenerative for our bodies and souls. 

Imagine a world where you allowed yourself to take January and February to relax more, hibernate, if you will, and slowly live in rhythms that coincided with the seasons. You slowly moved through your tasks, you slowly made plans for Spring, you slowly enjoyed this time of rest and renewal and allowed all of the frantic pace of the holiday season to melt away, one day at a time, by choosing rest over crazy. 

Essentially you would start your year off with renewal and not more stress-induced goals, after having lived through two of the most stressful months of the year. 

For me, this makes so much sense. It explains why I never felt like I was getting anywhere until months after New Years and it takes the pressure off of having to live in a constant state of stress. 

The older I get, the more I think doing the opposite of what the world deems necessary, is the way to live. The world is always striving and stressing; grasping for more. But the rhythm of God's word is that everything has a season and the things that need to happen will happen in due time. 

So now I can move through the next few months without guilt or insane expectations of myself. I can enjoy the slower pace of life without feeling like I'm behind and I can rest in knowing that Spring will bring new energy, new life, new excitement as the world comes to life at the proper time. 

And for me...this will make all the difference in how I enjoy my winter.

Until Next Time...

Blessings! 

*all graphics are property of Pinterest* *aren't they cute?*