lessons for this season
more on: self awareness, creating value & thinking beyond borders.
🎙️for more listeners— here you go:
February has been a special month so far, for different reasons. I’ve found myself writing a lot, dreaming again, thinking bigger and learning to be content with the season I am in. It’s what has heavily inspired today’s newsletter title — lessons for this season. As you read each of these, I hope they invite you into deeper introspection.
# lesson one— no season is wasted: two weeks ago I was invited by my previous A-Levels school to share my legal career journey so far. It was such a special moment for me, for many reasons. Successfully completing my A-Levels was such a journey. It was a trying time, where I was faced with what seemed like impossible odds. But just at the nick of time, everything clicked, my very own water turning into wine testimony. Returning back to my A-Levels school five years felt special— a testing period had now become a testimony I could confidently share with others. I shared the reality of navigating A-Levels, studying law, building up your cv etc, and it was truly a rewarding experience.
It served as a reminder to me that just because a path is not smooth doesn’t mean you’re on the wrong one. Sometimes the very fire we despise, is what is needed for our moulding where a stronger, wiser and more determined version of ourselves emerges. This leads me to my next lesson:
# lesson two —pruning is essential: nobody really likes testing periods. I know for one I am not keen to seasons like this. But at a retreat I attended recently, my pastor shared something so profound that gave language to recent thoughts I’ve had. He spoke about how we all pass through heat and how it is part of the process of our becoming. As he spoke it hit me that testing periods are truly part of the process. In seasons where we experience shakings, it’s easy to retreat and see ourselves as victims to what we pass through. But what I’m learning is that for every testing period we go through, it’s an invitation to experience the love of God in a new way and receive strength for the journey ahead. When we think of cake batter, the batter only transforms when it faces heat. It’s the same with us, the heat we experience is to mould us, it’s for our becoming. In the pruning, breaking, rebuilding —humility is birthed. I’ve also learnt to become even more reliant on God, because truly I am nothing without Him. If you’re passing through a testing period right now, I want to encourage you. In the crushing, the pressing— new wine is being birthed. There’s capacity forging, healing brewing and a beautiful emergence on the other side that will showcase a more fortified version of you. You’re not passing through deep waters alone, Jesus is in the boat with you.
# lesson three: spending time with ourselves is so key. I recently went on a solo trip/mini retreat and initially I was wondering what I would do with my time. Coming back from it, it’s honestly been an invitation to delve deeper into exploring more— from my interests, hobbies, my thoughts etc. I think it’s so easy for us to live our lives replicating what we see around us, but the question is are our daily lifestyles in alignment with the blueprint set out for us? Or are we living within boundaried lines that were never designed for our flourishing? On this trip I found myself thinking deeply about the life I want to live, and I’m glad I allowed myself sit with my thoughts. Some questions I found myself asking were:
what do you care about & why?
in the next couple of years, what do you envision?
What would you like ‘work’ to look like for you?
I delve into this more in the video below:
My point is— we are constantly evolving. Setting aside intentional time to gather our thoughts, pause, reassess our motives for what we pursue and more, is really important. It’s a practice I want to prioritise this year, as we schedule time for events, friends etc, let’s also do the same for ourselves. Sometimes we need to catch up with our own lives.
# lesson four: we have the ability to create— some circumstances and experiences we pass through truthfully might be very difficult and it can be easy to retreat and walk away from what we know we should be walking towards. But as the days pass by the more I am coming to realise that nobody is responsible for our lives but us. We determine how far we are going to progress and we can either choose to be defined by our circumstances or rise above, take note of the lessons and move forward. We can use what we have in our hands now to get to what we want to see. What do you have in your hands at the moment? And how are you cultivating the seeds you have? The video below is a snippet from profound interview I listened to recently and I was so touched by hearing the journey of Mrs Adenike Ogunlesi. Listen to it here.
# lesson five on being an influence, creating value + impacting lives: I’ve been pondering extensively on the type of person I want to become and what a successful life looks like for me. My conclusion at the moment is that success ultimately is about remaining in alignment with God and living beyond myself. I’m learning to adopt a generational mindset, and become a person who looks beyond her needs to solving problems that transcend borders and reach people I may never meet. This is a journey, and I know this will be a gradual process, but I am also aware that seeds have to be sown into the garden I want to tend to tomorrow. Sowing seeds looks like cultivating my gifts, talents, going the extra mile everyday whilst trusting that in time the rain will come. I’ve also been pondering on what it really means to be an influence, and I’ve come to realise that it has nothing to do with fame, and everything to do with service. The rooms we enter, stages we grace, platforms we create or we’re featured on— all of this is to serve others and impart what we have within us, unto others.
I believe each of us have been given a place by God that He has designated for us to flourish and do His will. But the real question is, are we willing to drop paradigms that limit us and cause us to not see beyond ourselves? Truthfully, living beyond ourselves is not easy, there are many things that via our attention everyday. However a verse I have been meditating on recently is ‘Matthew 6:33 ‘seek first the kingdom of God and everything else shall be added unto you’. It reminds me of the importance of priotising God’s will and focusing on what I’m to do per time and season, and trust that even as I do so, all my needs will be met.
These are the lessons I’m learning in this season, and I hope they’ve met you where you are today. Share with me any that resonated with you or any lessons you’re learning in this season and I’d catch you in the next letter!
Love,
Rhieme
💌 Rhieme Recommends
🫂 ‘Harnessing Our Strengths’: In Conversation with Lessons in Seasons is back! Join me for an evening on speaking on all things purpose, finding our place & leaning into our strengths with an inspiring speaker! Limited spaces available.
🎥 ‘Understanding Influence’ with Bunmi George: this was a fantastic message shared by Bunmi George on understanding influence & service. I’ve listened to it about five times now, it’s so good.
📚 ‘Rahab: Wisdom for Quantum Change’ by Jumoke Adenowo: If you’ve been reading my newsletters for a while, you know how much I love Mrs Adenowo’s books. I re-read this book recently and it was so good. Topics covered include discretion, navigating relationships, diversifying your income & more. A solid ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🗞️ Roundup of Lessons in Seasons
Thank you for sharing, thank you for the recommendations too
Rhieme! These letters always meet me where I'm at. It truly feels like you have been listening in on my conversations with God! Wow! There are many things you shared, I have to go back and ponder on! Thank you for your timely words! I am looking forward to the next newsletter.