Moving with the Rhythm of Life

What season of life are you in right now?

I’ve been asking myself that question on my walks for almost thirty years. Those walks began with an injury.

How a Torn Knee Started a 30-Year Walk

In 1997, after a long day at work, I stopped at the gym on my way home. I loved high-impact step aerobics. It was my way to sweat and leave the day behind.

The next morning, my left knee was painful and swollen, and it didn’t get better. An MRI showed a torn meniscus. During surgery, the doctors had to remove the entire shredded meniscus, which left me bone on bone, with no cushion in the joint.

Six months later I could walk without pain, but I was too scared to go back to high-impact aerobics. So I started walking.

I have walked outdoors ever since, sometimes up to 25 or more miles a week, moving to the treadmill only when winter gets bad. I didn’t know it then, but that injury was one of my first lessons in seasons: one thing I loved came to an end, and something that would sustain me for decades began.

What the Trees Know

On those walks, I have watched the trees, the flowers, the birds and the geese through all four seasons, and I have been amazed that nature keeps a rhythm all year long.

The trees seem to have an inner knowing. They know when to burst into light spring green. They know when to flourish in the deep green of summer. They know when to turn, shed their leaves and prepare to rest for winter.

Last fall was unusually warm, yet the leaves still fell. I was curious: why would trees shed their leaves when it’s still warm? (Growing up in the tropics, I had never needed to ask that question before.)

I discovered it’s mainly about the light. Trees take their cue from the length of the day. When the daylight hours grow shorter, the trees understand it’s time to prepare for winter, whatever the temperature says.

As a preacher, I have to say: that will preach.

Four Lessons from the Trees

1. Every life has seasons

No one is exempt, and no season is wasted. In medicine, in pastoring, in chaplaincy and in coaching, I leaned into each season fully, even when I sensed it might only be for a while. I kept telling myself, “I will grow where I am planted, even if it’s for a day. I won’t be half-hearted.” Growing in the season you are in brings great freedom and joy, in your own life and in your service to others.

2. Look up for your direction

The trees take their cue from the sun. What if we looked up and took our cue from the Son?

Just as the trees are not moved by the temperature, we do not have to be moved by every signal around us. Through prayer, Scripture and quiet reflection, I have learned to trust the gentle nudges of the Holy Spirit. Our truest direction comes from the Light.

3. Transitions are rarely neat

Trees standing side by side turn color at different times, and they shed their leaves unevenly. Even on a single tree, you’ll see leaves of different colors at different stages of letting go. It can look chaotic. But eventually, every leaf falls.

Many of us resist the rhythms of life because we want our transitions to be smooth and predictable. Are you ignoring the nudges God is giving you because you’re afraid of the unpredictability that comes with change?

4. Winter is not the end

In November 2020, I became a widow after forty-five years of marriage. A year later, an illness with no clear cause left me with little energy for months. My body decided for me that I had to stop, and in 2022, at 71, I retired from active ministry. It felt like winter.

But winter turned out to be a season of deep soul work. I had time to rest, to reflect, to journal and to pray. And in that season, I wrote my book, Becoming the Face of God.

The largest, oldest tree in the park has roots that fan out for several yards. Despite its age, when spring comes it bursts back to life. It is possible to blossom in any season.

Which Season Are You In?

The seasons of life are not a straight line, and they are not only about age. Whatever your age, you might find yourself in any one of them:

• Spring: Life is blossoming. Your energy is vibrant, and you are giving birth to something new.
• Summer: You are seeing results, and the fruit is abundant.
• Fall: It’s time to step back, conserve your energy and send your roots deeper.
• Winter: You are called to rest and to draw on the strength you built in the other seasons.

Whatever season you are in, be encouraged. The Creator has placed within you a rhythm of life that is intuitive and sustaining. All seasons are important, and God is in your season.

“To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.”

Ecclesiastes 3:1

Your Challenge This Week

• Name your season. What season are you in right now?
• Look up. Ask God for the right response for this season.
• Be hopeful. Seasons are temporary, and they come around again.

What season are you in?

I’d love to hear from you. Share what season you are in with me in the box below.