Evolving Through the Seasons

Becoming While I’m Still Becoming

Trusting God With the Parts of My Story That Are Still Being Written

"Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ."— Philippians 1:6 (KJV)

As I come to the end of this series, I realize something. Nothing I've written about is finished. The circumstances that inspired these reflections haven't all changed. Some prayers I'm praying today are the same prayers I was praying when I began writing Week 1. There are still questions. Still concerns. Still people I love walking through difficult seasons.

Still things I would change if I could. And yet... I'm changing. Maybe that's what has surprised me most about evolving through the seasons. I used to think change meant something around me had to become different. Now I'm beginning to understand that sometimes the most significant change is happening within me.

I Am Not Who I Was

Every season has left something behind. Some left beautiful memories. Some left scars. Some left wisdom I wish I could have gained another way. Others deepened my compassion. Some strengthened my faith. Some taught me what really matters. And some are still teaching me. I've lived long enough to recognize that becoming isn't something reserved for young people trying to figure out who they are. I'm still becoming. Still learning. Still discovering. Still surrendering. Still being surprised by God. And I'm grateful for that. Because as long as God continues giving me days, I believe there is still something He can do in me and something He can do through me.

A Year I Never Could Have Planned

This month, BTG Coaching & Consulting celebrates its first anniversary. One year. When I think about everything that has happened during that year, I have to smile. Not because everything went according to plan. Quite the opposite. There were ideas that grew beyond anything I initially imagined. There were opportunities I never anticipated. There were people God placed in my path whom I didn't know I would meet. There were also interruptions. Losses. Family concerns. Changed priorities. Moments when ministry had to wait because someone I loved needed me. Days when the to-do list simply didn't get done. And somewhere along the way, I began to understand that perhaps those weren't interruptions to my purpose at all. They were part of it.

BTG was built around Peace. Power. Purpose. A year later, those words mean more to me than they did when I chose them. Peace isn't the absence of difficult circumstances. Power isn't controlling everything that happens. And purpose isn't simply accomplishing what I planned. I'm learning to experience peace while life is uncertain. I'm discovering strength when circumstances remind me how little I actually control. And I'm recognizing purpose in places I never thought to look for it. The words haven't changed. I have.

The Seasons Have Taught Me

When I started this series, I reflected on how life doesn't always move neatly from one season into another. Sometimes God doesn't change the season. He adds another one. Then I began thinking about the roads I've traveled and how experiences I once struggled to understand have allowed me to recognize someone else's pain. My messes became messages. My tests became testimonies. And some of my seasons prepared me to walk alongside someone in theirs.

Then came perhaps the most personal realization of all. The reason sorrow and joy can occupy the same heart isn't because I've mastered some secret to positive thinking. It's because my hope isn't rooted in my circumstances. My hope is in Jesus. So here I am at Week 4. The seasons haven't disappeared. The questions haven't all been answered. But something is different. Me.

Maybe Evolving Looks Like Surrender

I've spent much of my life planning. Planning careers. Planning projects. Planning ministry. Planning events. Planning what comes next. And I still believe planning has value. Proverbs reminds me, however, that while we make our plans, God directs our steps. I'm learning there is freedom in holding my plans with an open hand. Not because I've stopped dreaming. I have plenty of dreams left. Not because I've stopped working. Anyone who knows me knows better than that. But I'm becoming more comfortable saying: "Lord, this is what I have planned. Now show me what You have purposed." Sometimes those two things align beautifully. Sometimes God redirects me. Sometimes life interrupts me. And sometimes I discover that what I thought was a detour was actually part of the journey.

Still Becoming

At 67 years old, I find something wonderfully humbling about being able to say: God isn't finished with me yet. I don't know what the next season will bring. And after everything life has taught me, I'm not going to pretend that I do. There will probably be seasons I welcome. Others I would rather avoid. There may even be several happening at once. But perhaps I don't need to know what's coming. Maybe I only need to know Who is coming with me. That's enough. So I won't close this series by saying I've figured out how to navigate every season. I haven't.

I'm simply learning to recognize God in each one. I'm learning to allow yesterday's experiences to deepen today's compassion. I'm learning that joy can remain even when sorrow visits. I'm learning that purpose can continue even when plans change. And I'm learning that evolving doesn't mean becoming someone completely different. Sometimes it simply means becoming more fully the person God has been shaping all along. As BTG begins its second year, I don't know exactly where God will lead it. And surprisingly, I'm okay with that. I'll keep planning. I'll keep dreaming. I'll keep serving. I'll keep writing. I'll keep trusting. And I'll keep becoming. Because perhaps that's the greatest lesson these seasons have taught me: I don't have to know what the next season holds when I know Who holds me through every season. And wherever the journey leads...

All glory belongs to God!