Say yes to your season.
“Recognize that the season in front of you is not inherently good or bad, it just requires something very specific from you. ”
You know the feeling, right?
Working late. Brainstorming ideas as you drive. Jotting down notes on your lunch break. Trying to squeeze everything out of this process to reveal something worthwhile.
This was my intense creative process as I carefully crafted a solo for a local dance festival.
I was excited. And I was drained.
It was in this blurry-eyed, brain-fried, body-tired space that I started complaining to my husband.
I was grateful for the opportunity, but I hated feeling so exhausted! I started analyzing the state of things and wondered if I had done something wrong...
Maybe if I had left more margin in my life I wouldn’t feel so tired. Maybe if I prioritized self-care I wouldn’t be running on fumes. Maybe if I just rearranged my whole life I could manage this effectively.
My husband let me bemoan for a while and then simply said, “Tehillah, it sounds like you just wish you were in a different season than you are.”
Oof.
I was expecting comfort, not a call to empowerment. (Cue the biggest desire to refute him and keep whining.)
I didn’t want to admit it, but he was dead-on with his assessment. I was wasting time and energy wishing that I didn’t have to be in this pressurized mode of creative output.
I wanted a season of rest and rehabilitation. Time to relax and read a good book, not be working long hours in a studio. Time to take a bath and listen to my favorite podcast, not sending emails late at night to artistic collaborators. Time to cook a real meal, not surviving on protein bars. (Can I get an amen PLEASE?!)
That’s a gorgeous season to be in, but it wasn’t my current season.
My season was about pushing through, staying in it, and letting luxury go for the sake of artistic reward. I knew one day I would be in a restful season and I might even wish for this creative process again (draining as it might be in the moment).
How do we stay present to the season in front of us?
How do we say yes when the temptation to complain and wish it away is ever-present?
Here are 4 tips from my own exposure to this process:
Name it and accept it.
Are you in transition? Dealing with an injury? Leading and creating? Following and learning? Don’t spend all your time fighting your season or wishing it was different. Take a deep breath and accept where you are. Do what you need to do to gain what you can from this time.
Practice gratitude daily.
Give thanks to God for the season that you’re in. Not only is this a massive weapon against bitterness, but it will soften your heart to the Lord while giving you a healthy perspective towards your season.
Don’t look around.
Don’t compare your season to the people around you. It’s a gigantic distraction and it won’t help you! Put blinders on and run your race. Tell yourself, “This is the season in front of me. I’m accepting it. I’m going to run with it. And I’m here for all of it.”
Trust that God is with you in the process.
He will complete everything that he started in your life. Good or bad, God is with you. He’s not aloof and far away. He’s current with you and he cares about you. He will give you what you need to be sustained in this season.
Recognize that the season in front of you is not inherently good or bad, it just requires something very specific from you.
It’s ok to let some things go in order to be fully present and accepting of this season, knowing it will eventually shift to something new.
Pray this prayer of acceptance and surrender to the Lord:
“God, help me show up to the here and now and help me glean the most that I can from the season right in front of me. I may not like it. I may wish it was different. But how can I be present to everything that you have for me in this season?”
It’s ok if you don’t love the season you’re in, but say yes to the Lord in the midst of it. He will faithfully nurture you through this and onto the next.
