New week, new letter! Hey everyone welcome to a new newsletter, hope you’re all having a great week so far. Before we get into today’s newsletter, here’s a roundup of our most recent newsletters:
🗞️ Roundup of Lessons in Seasons
🎥 Unpacking with Lessons in Seasons: catch up with the last unpacking with lessons in seasons video from ‘Navigating disappointment’
Rhieme Recommends 💌
🎧 Podcast: Creative Encounters by Candle Culture: I listened to this podcast episode last week and it was amazing! It covered navigating rejection, accpeting redirection and things coming together in the most unexpected ways in life. I highly recommend!
🎥 Youtube Video: God is My Creative Director: this video was honestly soo reassuring and encouraging. It’s a great listen for anyone questioning why their journeys are panning out as they are and so much more.
Now let’s get into today’s newsletter!
Underwater 🌊
In many ways I have felt underwater at different phases of my life. Underwater is quiet, much of what happens beneath the water is not seen unless we choose to take a deep dive. It’s the same with our lives, there are times where so much is taking place behind the scenes but hardly anything is showing on the surface and I’ve had to become more comfortable with that. Anyone who knows me, knows I am very driven and usually on the go. But lately I’ve been questioning this and asking — to what end really? And by this I mean what happens when God gives you a glimpse of the vision, but the process and pace that is necessary you pass through, appears like you are being taken five steps backwards? Or a slower pace in life than you are used to? What happens then? Are you behind? Or is this a pace in life worth embracing? Sometimes what we see as being slowed down, is really God ensuring we are well prepared, lacking in nothing.
These days, I’m in no hurry to hit certain milestones at a particular age or periods in life. Now I’m learning to be content with the slower phases I pass through, lean into the steady climb, while also appreciating times that have been fast paced. You may be reading this and wrestling with the pace of your life, desperately wanting to bypass this ‘slow’ phase. But what does ‘slow’ really mean? Of course there are times where it is important we respond in a timely manner, other times it’s important we surrender to the new pace our lives may be following even when we don’t understand why.
Input & Output
In seasons that are marked by their quietness, they could bring us to reflect on how much input is taking place in our lives over output. A person’s silence doesn’t mean there isn’t anything substantial happening for them. While there is a place for this, I’m not referring to working on the next project, but more so I’m speaking to who we are becoming as people. We don’t seem to realise that before any external fruit is seen on trees, there are deep and well nurtured roots that bring forth the fruit we see. Even when the fruits fall as seasons change, the roots remain, and this is what I believe should be our focus point —our roots and foundations being deep and laid well.
When I think of my 20s, I think building, building well. At a time where it’s easier to hop on the next big thing as opposed to putting in the work and digging deep, it’s important we choose the latter and put in the necessary effort for the fruit we want to see in our lives. This could look like a period of ‘silence’ where nobody really knows what you are up to, but you. Externally it may look like you have nothing to ‘show for it’ but is this what life is really about? Constantly looking to show others what we are doing? I don’t think so, I believe building in silence is so powerful. Those late nights of research, coffee catch ups, actively seeking mentorship, stretching ourselves — none of it is wasted because it is also part of the process of building and becoming you. At a time where there might be pressure to launch something, I’ve been pondering on how we’re not all meant to launch businesses and ventures in our twenties. Some people are actually meant to use the duration of their twenties to acquire all the knowledge they ought to before taking action and this is not wasted. Though you may feel ‘behind’ in comparison to others, I want to remind you that you are not as long as you are in alignment with the pace God has for you.
Facing Reality in Quiet Seasons
In quiet seasons, it’s easy to want to welcome noise because of what we may find out in the silence. Perhaps we are not as put together as we thought. Maybe we need to heal in areas we thought we had gotten over and we know how deep rooted certain issues are. But guess what? It is worth it. We all need to face the not so great sides of ourselves and quiet seasons present a beautiful opportunity to. For some this phase could be a place of renewal and restoration as you begin to emulate more of who you truly are. When it’s noisy, it’s harder to zone out and face reality. It can even be tempting to turn up the volume of all the sounds that may be chiming, because unknowingly, they are a means to drown out our fears and hide from what we need to face. But confrontation will always be better than avoidance.
Restlessness can even step in. Even the word ‘restlessness’ speaks volumes – there is something we are at war with. A lot of time we may not realise how easy it is to live a reactive life rather than a responsive life. When I think of a reactive life, I think, the only reason why one has chosen to venture into something is because they have seen someone else and thought, I can do this too, why not? And while I believe it is beautiful to be inspired by the lives of others, I don’t believe the sole purpose for our actions should be due to responding to someone else’s actions. Neither should it lead to a spiral of am I doing enough? What next can my hands find to do? Why spend our lives reacting to other people responding to God’s calling over their lives as opposed to seeking His will over our lives and responding in the way He would have us? We also don’t know what processes people have undergone, to birth what we now see and admire in their lives. Sometimes we don’t realise that we are in silent competition with others and this is not right. We are not here to outbeat others or outpace them, we are here to live the lives God has given us for His purposes. Which is why I’m learning to love quiet seasons more, they are a time of revelation, realignment and repositioning.
They are a place of reconvening with God and allowing Him determine the next brushstrokes of our lives. And though this level of surrender can be daunting, there is colour that springs forth from doing life with God and allowing Him to take his rightful place as the painter ushering us into a new level of intimacy.
In all the activity— who are you becoming?
We’ve spoken about a number of areas in this newsletter and now I want to turn to a difficult but necessary question — in all the activity, who are you becoming? As someone who enjoys taking on new projects and trying new things, this is a question I’ve had to ask myself several times. At the heart of all we do, I believe who we are becoming is integral to the longevity of anything we pursue. It matters more than our external actions because activity can pass and who you are can remain unchanged unless you decide to be intentional about the growth you want to see. As you take on new projects are you becoming more patient? Kind? Gentle? How do we respond when we don’t have our way? All these aspects are easy to overlook but they are central to everything, they speak to character. And for me, the ultimate goal is to become more like Jesus. It’s getting to a point where I evidently live out scriptures and people are able to experience the love of God through me.
Lastly, being in a quiet season is not a place of shame neither is it a place to despise. It also doesn’t mean you are not good enough. It’s the place to learn, heal, grow and be comfortable with silence. Your light can shine even in quiet seasons, it is not attached to a post doing rounds on social media or even hundreds of people liking and commenting on your work. Allowing our light to shine is a lifestyle, platform or not, light will always be light, whether online or offline. It is not about how our lives appear to many but truly what they are in reality to the one. It’s in how we treat those who can’t do anything for us. It’s caring for that friend that the world may never know you did in the way you did, but God saw and that is more than enough.
So to you who may be underwater, and not have current external activity going on, I want to encourage your heart and remind you that nothing is wasted. God knows why He takes us through the various processes He does for our lives and we’ll be thankful we endured. I’m rooting for you, and my messages are open. Let me know your thoughts below, how have you navigated quiet seasons? How do they make you feel?
Hope you have a lovely week ahead and I’ll see you next week Monday (our new newsletter days).
Lots of love,
Rhieme
Oh, this was such a beautiful read. I'm currently in a quiet season, so I can definitely relate to this. The not so pretty side of it where you feel like things are happening for everybody else but you, and the exhilirating feeling when you know for sure that something is being renewed within you and your life will be better for it. This is where I am at the moment. The most beautiful part of it is getting to know God more and from there discovering who I am and who He wants me to be. Like the real me, not a shadow of another human. Knowing this helps me stay and find rest in the quiet.
Rhieme, another beautiful and timely piece! Uhh I love your writing 😍. I loved the part where you described the importance of living a responsive rather than a reactive life. Such a gem of wisdom. Sending much love ✨.