Winter. It sometimes seems that it will never end. When everything feels cold and gray, it’s easy to assume nothing is growing. But what if the season that feels the hardest is actually the one building the strongest roots?
The most beautiful people we have known
are those who have known defeat,
known suffering, known struggle...
and have found their way out of those depths.
— Elisabeth Kübler-Ross
Watch "Grow in Season" on the Educators Among Us Podcast
I'm ready for spring! It feels like this winter has lasted years instead of months.
Growth and change are part of life's seasons, but we're all in our own season.
Winter may look like nothing is happening on the surface, but this is when the most enduring growth produces stronger roots of purpose and inner resolve.
It's that deep, foundational growth that makes future beauty truly possible. Without cold winters, the vibrancy to come would be weaker and short-lived.
What good is the warmth of summer,
without the cold of winter
to give it sweetness?
— John Steinbeck
Sometimes we get stuck in a season like Groundhog Day (one of my favorites!). "It's gonna be cold, it's gonna be gray, and it's gonna last the rest of your life." Nothing is quite as painful as being unable to escape from that endless winter.
But, if we learn to find joy there anyway, we're able to unlock a secret to life.
The way forward is always found within, choosing to use hard times to build character, develop authentic faith, and grow in the habits that enable success.
So we fix our eyes not on what
is seen, but on what is unseen,
since what is seen is temporary,
but what is unseen is eternal.
― 2 Corinthians 4:18
Changing the narrative we repeat in our own heads is the best place to start. This isn't blind positivity that ignores reality, but we can change our mindset.
Be smart and strategic, understanding the season and then adapting to take advantage of what it offers. We can open our eyes to see abundant blessings!
It can be uncomfortable breaking the shell that limits our vision, but why not?
Trust the wait. Embrace the risk. When life is less certain, anything is possible.
Grow in the season you're in. But as they say in Groundhog Day, “watch out for that first step—it's a doozy!”
Listen to "Grow in Season" on the Educators Among Us Podcast
