Stay in the season.

As I sit here in the breathtaking high mountains of Utah, watching the fresh, powdery snow gently blanket the majestic peaks, I find myself in awe of the fiery orange and yellow leaves that are setting the mountainside ablaze with vibrant colors. It’s clear that a new season is definitely making an early entrance, and this beautiful transformation around me prompts deep reflection on how much of my life I’ve come to view in terms of distinct seasons—likely a perspective you have embraced as well. As the world outside changes so dramatically, I can feel something substantial shifting inside me as well.

Currently, I find myself in a season I didn’t expect and, frankly, don’t want to be in. Yet here it is, right before me, and I’m faced with a critical choice: do I fight through it or learn from it? After much consideration, I’m consciously choosing the latter approach. Too often, we become so eager to push through the tough and challenging seasons, much like we anticipate the transition from winter to spring, longing to see those beautiful flowers bloom and signal brighter days ahead. Who wouldn’t want that glorious outcome?

I would sincerely love to be on the other side, past what I’m navigating through right now, but I’m increasingly realizing that if I neglect to embrace this current season and truly traverse through it, I might miss out on the profound lessons that God is trying to teach me. Can you relate to this feeling?

Whatever season you find yourself in—stay. I understand that this may not be easy to hear. But don’t overlook the growth and transformation that can genuinely occur right where you are. If we are always striving to muscle our way to the next season, we risk missing the inherent beauty and valuable lessons of the current one. Even if you feel buried under the weight of your circumstances at this moment, trust that you’re not truly buried. You’re planted. And remember, planted things grow, but only if they remain rooted in the soil where they are. Spring will undoubtedly come, and with it, a brand new season, but for now, stay and nurture your growth right where you’ve been intentionally planted.