4 Tips To Get You Through The Tough Seasons of Life

As I am writing this it is currently a beautiful spring day outside. This brings music to my ears because, for many reasons, Spring is my favorite season. However, this post is not about the physical seasons. In this post, I want to talk to you about the Bible verse that really opened my eyes and lifted my spirits. When I fully understood these verses and applied them to my life, I changed my perspective about the crossroads my life is currently on. It has helped change my perspective on the tough seasons of life.

“There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens.”

Ecclesiastes 3:1

” When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider this: God has made the one as well as the other. Therefore no one can discover anything about their future.”

Ecclesiastes 7:14

What I learned from these verses has helped me get in the right mindset when I am thinking about my current season, and especially when I’m having a tough day, or week, during a depression flair-up. My insight into these verses came with going through this bible study of Ecclesiastes, but my big breakthrough didn’t come until much later.

For some time now, I have felt disappointed in how my life is going so far and uninspired of how I can turn it around. Even just a slight pivot, I believe, could change how I feel about my life. I finally concluded that picturing where I should be and getting upset that it’s not where I am was getting me nowhere. It was not worth the time, frustration and tears. This is where I realized the power of the seasons of life we go through.

Like the Bible verse says there is a time for everything. Life isn’t always going to be sunshine and roses. Occasionally you are going to have straight up downpours, but that’s okay. To make the most out of life we must learn to be thankful for both. We should be rejoicing and praising God during the good times. However, even in the bad times, we can find something to be thankful for by reflecting and asking God what he wants us to learn in this season.

The latter is easier said than done. It honestly took me a long time to practice that in my own life. While I am thankful for the many seasons of life, the tough ones are still extremely hard to get through and grow from. Over time it has gotten easier for me to shift my focus from how horrible I am feeling to what can be learned from this experience.  If you need help achieving this I’ve got four ways to practice learning to push past the dark, gloomy, rainy days. These have all helped me at different times in my life and I hope they help you as well.

• Pray: I’ll admit, sometimes I don’t have the greatest prayer life, but I’ve never regretted spending time talking to God. It’s so freeing knowing that you can be completely open and cry out to God with everything that concerns you about the season you are currently going through.
• Look on the bright side: It’s hard to do this when it feels like you are drowning in the storm, but I promise it is possible. Then, when you can find that little bit of brightness, you can keep going back to it in the particularly low times. One of my bright spots is that, even though I have a part-time job and I’m not in the career field I want, all this free time has given me the opportunity to focus on my health.
• Write out your future: God loves us and wants to give us the desires of our hearts if it aligns with his will for our lives. Make your requests known. Have a conversation or write it down, whatever works for you. Here is mine:
  • I am lonely, but I know God will place me in a community that is right for me.
  • I am overweight, but I am working on appreciating the body that God gave me by working to be the healthiest version of myself.
  • I’m not in my dream job or career field, but I know that God has the perfect opportunity for me coming.
  • I’m depressed, but I know God is going to deliver me from this pain and use my story to inspire others.

• Personal Development: Sometimes it helps to get out of our own heads, and put positive thoughts from others in. Listening to a podcast, watching a YouTube video, or reading a blog post can help you refresh your mind and gain a new perspective about your situation. If you ever want to find my favorite personal development resources, as well as what I’m learning in that area, check out the Personal Development tab for posts on the topic of personal development. My favorite YouTube channel for personal development right now is Team Fearless.

Next time you are unsure about how you are going to get through the rough season you are experiencing I hope you can try one of these. I hope that it will help you come to peace with the current season in your life and anticipate the better season that is coming. Whatever season of life you are currently in, I hope you can find the good in all the seasons of life you walk through.

I’d love to know what you currently do to help you get past a tough season. What helps you cope during it? Leave a comment below or connect with me on Instagram. If you know someone that needs encouragement send this over to them. Be the bright spot in their day. We could all use some encouragement in our lives.