Seasons of the Soul

A refine retreat & taste of Tending Place

Just as our calendar moves through seasons of the year, as humans we move through seasons of the soul on our unique spiritual journeys. Adele Calhoun, in her book, Spiritual Disciplines Handbook, says “seasons cycle through our lives bringing times of fruit-bearing, root-deepening, drought and deep waiting. No matter how old we are, season come and go and return to come and go again.”

 Winter

Winter is often described as the season of waiting, silence, dryness, or dormancy. There is often feelings of being thirsty for God- like a desert thirsty for rain. Some describe winter as experiencing the end of something. Pruning and even death are also words often used. I wonder if winter is a season where deeper, hidden work is being done even while it can feel like an absence of joy or God’s presence in our hearts or lives.

In Psalm 143 (The Message), David is crying out. I wonder if his words resonate with you the way they have with me?

“The enemy hunted me down… He put me in a black hole… I sat there in despair, my spirit draining away, my heart heavy, like lead. I remembered the old days, went over all you’ve done, pondered the ways you’ve worked, stretched out my hands to you, as thirsty for you as a desert thirsty for rain. Hurry with your answer, God! I’m nearly at the end of my rope… you’re my only hope! Teach me how to live in you, because you are my God. Lead me by your blessed Spirit into clearer and level pastureland.”

David reminds us of the power of lament as well as reflecting on the goodness of God in our story (even when we don’t feel like it), and praying continuously. Like David we are invited to trust God because He is our God. He is our hope no matter what we are feeling or experiencing.

Adele Calhoun begins her introduction of winter by saying “it is the season when the well runs dry and we feel we are running on empty.” Adele went on to connect her story with the story of Jesus and his time being tempted in the wilderness. She also felt that God was asking her to sit and wait with him in a time of difficult change in her life. She called it a winter wilderness.

“I wanted to do just about anything rather than wait and trust God’s timing. But Jesus made it clear that I was to do nothing to prove who I was. I was simply to keep company with him. I was to grieve my losses, cry my tears, face down my temptation to doubt God and wait with Jesus. In the long, cold Chicago winter I found out that God had not forgotten me. He was trusting me with his silence in the wilderness of a new season. (Spiritual Disciplines Handbook, pg 327)”

“Where might you be longing for understanding, but actually you are being invited to trust?” (paraphrased, by Sarah Crosby)

Psalm 34:18, “The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”

Psalm 23:4, “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.”

Micah 7:8, “Though I sit in darkness, the LORD will be my light.”

Could it be true that winter is not a punishment?

What if winter is actually be a season of hidden of roots deepening, rest being enforced, and longing being clarified?

What if God is not absent in winter but He is quieter, closer, and doing work we can’t yet see?

Spring

“Spring is a season of new life, new beginnings, new growth. Enthusiasm for the things off God accompanies spiritual springtimes. Desire for more of God breaks forth in a beautiful way. Disciplines of worship and hearing God's Word seem to come naturally in this season of love for God. Often the desire to share our lives with others takes root in the spring.” (Calhoun, p326)

Do you notice an awakening after winter?

Isaiah 43:18–19, “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?” God wanted to put the Israelites eyes on the new work he would do. Sometimes looking at the ways God has provided and been present is helpful. In the spring season of the soul, there is a beautiful invitation to anticipate, to be expectant… new is coming.

Do you notice growth, fruitfulness, or healing within view or beginning?

Psalm 1: 2-3, “Blessed is the one whose delight is in the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers.”

A Spring prayer: Lord, in this spring season of my soul, help me to notice what is quietly coming back to life. Give me patience with small beginnings and courage to tend what You, O God, are growing.

Summer

In summer seasons of abundance the capacity and desire to give overflows. Serving others, working for justice, volunteering and engaging in outreach all bring us life. During this season, the fruit of the Spirit of God seems tangible to us. We sense God's love, joy and peace in deeply satisfying ways. In the summer season disciplines that share our lives with others and incarnate God's love keep us partnering with the Holy Spirit for transformation. (Calhoun, p326)

Summer is often described as a time of fruitfulness, warmth, joy, vitality, and a deep sense of God’s nearness—a season when faith feels alive and active.

Psalm 16:11, “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy…”

Nehemiah 8:10, “The joy of the LORD is your strength.”

Psalm 126:3, “The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.”

Isaiah 40:31, “Those who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength…”

Do you notice this being a season of warmth? Do you feel near to God? Do these things make you want to rest here but also give and share what you are experiencing with others? How might God be asking you to do both of these things?

Autumn

Autumn is often described as a time of letting go, harvesting what has grown, grief mixed with gratitude, transition, and preparation for what comes next. How else would you describe this season from your experience?

In the Spiritual Discipline Handbook, Adele states that “autumn is the season of transition standing between the bounty of summer and the barrenness of winter. This season is a mixed bag of harvest and loss. Sometimes even as we reap the fruit of sharing our lives with others, we sense a weariness of soul and a desire to hibernate for a time. Praying the authentic realities of our lives at this moment can be an imporant part of noticing God's desire to move us more deeply into relationship with him. Seasons remind us that we are not always in summer. It is natural to move into times of transition. It is natural to wait and wonder what is next.”

Galatians 6:9, “Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”

John 4:35, “Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest.”

Matthew 5:4, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”

Psalm 126:5–6, “Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy.”

In this season, where have you seen God as work in a time of change, growth, transition, or preparation?

What do you think God might be asking you to notice?

Are there truths or beauty from your spring season to hold with you here?

Do you notice a shift within yourself to move towards gratitude and also hibernation?