Evolving Through the Seasons

When God Doesn't Change Your Season... He Adds Another One

"To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven."— Ecclesiastes 3:1 (KJV)

Have you noticed how difficult it has become to tell what season we're in just by looking at the weather? One day feels like spring, the next like autumn, and sometimes they seem to arrive together. Life has a way of doing the same thing. Instead of neatly ending one season before beginning another, it sometimes asks us to live through several seasons at once.

For most of my life, I thought seasons came one at a time—not just in nature, but in life. I believed one chapter ended before another began. Then God began teaching me something different.

Years ago, after experiencing profound loss, I discovered that grief doesn't simply disappear one day. Instead, over time, we learn something remarkable. Joy doesn't replace grief, they walk side by side. We gradually learn to live with both. The sadness remains, but so does laughter. The memories still bring tears, but they also bring smiles. We don't leave one season behind; we learn to carry two at the same time.

I thought that lesson was only about grief. However, recently, I've realized it is about life.

This season has reminded me that sometimes God doesn't change our season at all. Instead, He gently adds another one. For example, one moment, I was celebrating the approaching one-year anniversary of BTG Coaching & Consulting. I was writing, speaking, creating new resources, and thanking God for all He has done.

At the very same time, my husband and I were navigating a journey we never expected—his diagnosis of a chronic disease. We've celebrated encouraging days, faced unexpected challenges, and learned to treasure victories that others might overlook. As if that weren't enough, my heart has also been with my daughter and grandchildren as they face their own life struggles. Like many parents, I want to help in every way I can.

Some days I wondered why I couldn't seem to accomplish everything on my carefully planned to-do list. Then one morning, a simple thought settled into my heart. Nothing is wrong. I'm simply carrying more than one season. I'm still a wife, mother, grandmother and friend. I'm also a caregiver. I'm also a source of encouragement for my loved ones and friends too. I'm still building a ministry and a business while also learning new depths of faith that only difficult seasons can teach.

None of those roles replaced the others. God simply added another season to the one I was already living. That realization changed something inside me. Instead of asking, "When will this season be over?" I found myself asking a different question: "Lord, what are You teaching me while these seasons overlap?"

I don't pretend to have all the answers. I'm still learning. I'm learning that gratitude and concern can occupy the same heart. I'm learning that hope grows strongest when it has something real to hold onto. I'm also learning that purpose doesn't pause because life becomes complicated. And I'm learning that God's faithfulness isn't limited to one season at a time.

Perhaps you've discovered something similar. Maybe your life doesn't fit neatly into a single season either. Maybe you're celebrating one blessing while carrying one burden. Or maybe you're giving thanks for one answered prayer while still waiting for another. Maybe you're finding that joy and uncertainty have somehow become neighbors. If so, know this: You're not failing because life feels heavier. You may simply be living through more than one season.

As I continue this journey, I'm becoming convinced that evolving through the seasons isn't about leaving one behind before another begins. Sometimes it's learning to faithfully walk through several at once—and discovering that God's presence is large enough for every one of them.

Until next week...

May you find the courage to embrace every season God has entrusted to you, even the ones you never expected.