Seasons of Our Lives – 1

As I write this, I can hear rain drops slowly hitting the roof. It wasn’t raining 3 months ago, but it’s raining now. Praying fervently for rain would have been exerting to make it rain 3 months ago while no activity is required to make it happen today. The sequence of life is divided into seasons, and each season favours particular activities. Understanding the seasons and working in line with the seasons is one of the surest ways to be most productive. Wisdom demands that we do things at the right time, things are easiest when they are done at their seasons. If I sow seeds in the raining season, then my seeds will grow with the support of the seasons, if I sow in the dry season however, I will need to do a lot of work, to get any results from the seed. It is crucial we understand the seasons of our lives, for as long as the earth remains, seed time and harvest time shall not cease. The seasons will change, how you respond to the seasons is what will determine your standing.

In the 12 tribes of Isreal, only one of the tribes was tagged as knowledgeable about the seasons, and hence respected for knowing what was the right thing to do per time. An accurate understanding of the seasons is a prerequisite to wisdom. What season of life are you in now? What season are we collectively in, as a nation? What season is the world at large in now? Different stages of our lives connote different seasons, and different periods in the life our nations imply different seasons. What activities should you engage in, in this season of your life? What should a wise person do at this time? If these are questions on your mind, then don’t stop here, read on.

There are different appelations that different regions use to classify the changes in weather in their regions. Here in West Africa, we have dry season and raining season. In the west they have Autum, Spring, Summer and Winter. These are the physical seasons that affect a whole lot of other dynamics and define what the appropriate behaviour should be in these times. In Winter for example, wise people are expected to wear a certain kind of cloth. Wearing the same thing in summer would look strange. There is time for everything, and interestingly an understanding of the seasons help us to know what time it is. The ant is recommended in the Bible as a wise creature worthy of study. It’s wisdom is displayed in that it gathers in summer for winter. It understands the seasons and knows the appropriate behaviour to sustain it’s life ahead of the seasons.

In the seasons of our lives, there are two broad seasons that cyclically change batons all through our lives. They are the seasons of abundance and the seasons of famine. They can otherwise also be tagged as the seasons of harvest and the seasons of sowing, we also have day seasons and night seasons. These season categories are in the experience of every individual, every nation, every people and race. It is essential that we understand the dynamics of these seasons, and understand the appropriate behaviour for these seasons. Just like the physical seasons, you can look at the physical manifestations happening at a time, and determine what season we are in. If it’s cold, you are looking white, the air is dry and your clothes have a lot of static charge, you immediately know that we are in dry season and he harmattan is heavily on the horizon. In this same way, there are tell tales to help you know what season of life you are in, and there are also guidelines to help you make the best of the season.

The Season of Abundance.

I personally believe that as a Nation (Nigeria), this is the season we are collectively in. The good thing or bad thing, depending on your paradigm, is that a season doesn’t continue forever, it hands over to the other season after some time. The season of harvest/ Abundance is characterized by opportunities. There seems to be a lot of opportunities around to tap into. The economy is growing, the value of land is appreciating, the stock market is bullish, people are witnessing growth in areas that have been stunted till now. There is supply, good things are not scarce, at the right price, they exist. In this season there is a lot to harvest, if you are well positioned in this season, you can increase and become mighty. Applying this season to the life of an individual, it’s the season where you begin to gain recognition, it’s the season where you have access, where you enjoy favour and grace, it’s litterally a season of harvest and abundance. Don’t get me wrong, it’s possible to live in a season of abundance and squalor in first class scarcity. The seaons don’t come with loud speakers and microphones to announce themselves, the seasons respond to those who understand and can see them. You are in abundance when normal efforts produce big results. In the season of harvest, there are two kinds of people, the people who had utilized the intial season well, and the people who just live their lives. Only the people with something to harvest are likely to harvest it in the right season.

The season of Famine.

We all go through these seasons, and even though famine sounds like a bad word, there is nothing wrong with this season. This is really the first season, and it’s the season that dictates what will be real in the coming season. How the Season of Abundance was handled also has influence on how these season will be. The Season of Famine is the season where people are distinguished, where the wise become really visible and the fools outstanding. The season is famine when the price of real estate is going down, the stocks market is bearish, opportunities seem few and far between, the economy is recessing, the value of your currency is going down, supply is short and things are very different from how the were in the not so far past. There are people in this season as well however, who because of the quality with which they managed their abundance, cannot be grouped with the general majority on the effects of this season. The season of famine is a season when there is general lack, scarcity, high pricing e.t.c. This season always follows abundance and is followed by abundance.

Practical Steps to Maximize the Seasons.

Abundance

1. Appoint a wise and descret consultant or counsellor, take it out of your hands.
2. Recruit more hands to manage the harvest, develop selling skills ahead of famine.
3. Device systems to save and preserve.
4. Don’t eat it all up, device stable sources of passive income.
5. Grow visibility and relevance by providing information about opportunities.
5. Be concious of the cyclical nature of seasons.

Famine

1. Manage your expenses, live within your passive income.
2. Provide value in exchange for wealth to those who did not know that famine was coming. Operate selling and consulting skills.
3. Open your storehouses and reserves.
4. Grow your visibility and relevance by adding needed value.
5. Be concious of the cyclical nature of seasons

Are you aware of the season you are in? Are you playing by the seasons? Are you taking position or are you just occupying space? Are you living intentionally or carelessly? In the coming editions, we’ll be analyzing the harvest and sowing and the night and day categories. We’ll aslo be looking into a bit more details into the activities and action stesp to maximize these seasons.

May the season of life you are in right now, position you to be relevant in the one ahead. I hope you found this insightful and useful.