Why Every Season Has Something God Is Trying to Teach You

There’s something about the church calendar that reminds me of Florida weather: just when you think you’ve figured out what season you’re in, everything abruptly changes and you’re left standing there confused, squinting at the sky, asking God if this is a lesson or just a test of your patience. Spoiler: it’s usually both.

The Christian year has rhythms—Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, Pentecost—and even if your church doesn’t formally observe all of them, they show up in the background like spiritual landmarks that whisper, “Hey, remember what God is doing?” Every season is an invitation. And every invitation teaches us something different.

Let’s start with Advent, the season of waiting. Now, “waiting” might be your least favorite spiritual activity—right up there with “growth” and “trusting God when the plan makes no sense.” But Advent reminds us that God often works in the quiet before the breakthrough. It’s the season that tells us: it’s okay if you’re not seeing results yet. God does some of His best work off-camera.

Then there’s Christmas, which is supposed to be peaceful but often ends up feeling like a cross between a Hallmark movie and a Walmart Black Friday aisle. But beneath the chaos is this simple truth: God chose to show up in the ordinary. In a stable. In a feeding trough. In a moment nobody expected. Christmas whispers to us that God still steps into our messes and doesn’t require us to have our lives wrapped in neat little bows first.

Lent, on the other hand, is the season where we voluntarily give things up—sometimes big things, sometimes embarrassingly small things we didn’t realize controlled our entire personality. Lent reminds us that sacrifice isn’t punishment; it’s preparation. It’s God saying, “Let me clear out some spiritual clutter so you can actually breathe.”

Then comes Easter, the season of resurrection. It’s impossible to get through Easter without remembering that God specializes in bringing dead things back to life—hopes, relationships, confidence, faith that’s been limping along on fumes. Easter is a yearly reminder that God is not finished with you, not intimidated by your failures, and not even slightly hindered by whatever you think is too far gone.

After Easter, we often forget there’s a whole season called Pentecost, the time that celebrates the Holy Spirit showing up like a divine windstorm. Pentecost reminds us that God didn’t just save us—He empowers us. He didn’t just call us—He equips us. It’s the nudge that says, “Hey, you weren’t meant to do this on your own. Stop trying.”

And in between these big moments are all the smaller, quieter observances that many Christians breeze past: Ordinary Time, feast days, biblical commemorations, even national days of prayer. These aren’t just dates on a calendar—they’re mile markers for your soul. They train your heart to see God in the everyday, not just in the highlight reel moments.

Here’s the part we forget:
God built rhythms into our lives because He knows we need them.

We may pretend we can run on spiritual adrenaline forever, but He knows better. Seasons force us to slow down, refocus, and rediscover what matters. They turn our attention back to God right when we’re starting to drift. Think of the Christian calendar as a spiritual GPS constantly recalculating your route.

Because let’s be honest—we wander. A lot.

But seasons pull us back:

• Advent calls us to wait.

• Christmas calls us to wonder.

• Lent calls us to surrender.

• Easter calls us to hope.

• Pentecost calls us to act.

And the “ordinary” days?
Those remind us that faith isn’t built in mountaintop moments—it’s built in the Tuesday afternoons when nothing spectacular is happening but God is still present anyway.

Every season has a purpose.
Every season has a lesson.
And every season—yes, even the ones we don’t enjoy—draws us back toward the God who knows exactly what we need, exactly when we need it.

If you’re in a season that feels confusing, quiet, or downright uncomfortable, don’t panic. You’re not off track.

You’re simply in the part of the calendar where God does His most important work:

The forming.
The refining.
The deepening.

And trust me—He knows exactly what He’s doing.