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In a culture obsessed with progress and productivity, it’s easy to see life as a straight line—from childhood to old age, spring to winter—with each stage offering its own set of expectations and pressures. But as discussed by Bishop Gary Oliver and Dr. Noemi Oliver in the latest episode of The Secret Place, our personal and spiritual journeys are shaped less by linear advancement and more by recurring cycles—much like the seasons.

The Cycle, Not the Arrow

Many of us view our lives through a linear lens: birth, growth, climax, and decline. Yet, as Bishop Gary Oliver pointed out, “we have seasons constantly too. There is a constant shift…and it may be annually. Sometimes I feel like I go through different seasons in one day.” The biblical perspective outlined in Ecclesiastes—“to everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under the heaven”—reminds us that change isn’t just inevitable; it’s cyclical.

Recognizing the repeating nature of our spiritual and emotional states frees us from the illusion of finality. The frustrations we experience, the sense of dormancy, or the burst of creative energy aren’t endpoints—they’re part of a cycle that will come, recede, and return. By shifting our mindset, as Dr. Noemi Oliver emphasized, we avoid repeating destructive patterns and instead unlock growth each turn around the cycle.

Spring: Cultivating Hope and New Beginnings

The arrival of spring, in both the natural and spiritual sense, is marked by anticipation and vulnerability. It’s a season “about planting,” Dr. Noemi Oliver explained, “it psychologically means hope because you’re looking at something that now is beginning to boom.” This is about more than the literal sowing of seeds—it's the cultivation of vision, relationships, and disciplines that set the stage for future harvests.

Yet, spring’s promise contains risk. Holding on to the past can inhibit our ability to lean into new beginnings. As Dr. Noemi Oliver stated, “holding on to the past does not allow us to spring forward into something new.” Spring, then, challenges us to guard our soil—to protect our spiritual, emotional, and intellectual ground from distraction and discouragement, knowing that small beginnings (the blade) precede bigger breakthroughs (the full corn in the ear).

Summer: The Work of Endurance

Summer is the season of action. Growth accelerates, but so does adversity. It’s tempting to flee when progress stalls or challenges intensify, mistaking discipline for punishment. “Discipline is crucial in this season,” Dr. Noemi Oliver cautioned. “This is a time of discipline, being resilient, and spiritual endurance.”

Dr. Noemi Oliver and Bishop Gary Oliver both stressed that the fruit isn’t the only purpose of summer—it’s also about digging roots, deepening trust, and transforming habits. While the harvest is yet unseen, perseverance is shaping the vessel that will one day carry weight. “Patience and endurance are the same thing,” Bishop Gary Oliver explained. The challenge is not just to work, but to wait and allow growth to deepen beneath the surface, trusting that harvest will come in its time.

Fall and Winter: Harvest, Reflection, and Renewal

Fall signals reward and responsibility. The weight of harvest causes the tree to bend—the mark of substance formed through struggle. “When there is fruit, the tree bends, there’s weight,” Dr. Noemi Oliver described. This season requires discernment to distinguish lasting fruit from false growth and prepares us to use our increase for the benefit of others.

Winter, meanwhile, often appears barren but is a season of rest and reflection. Rather than seeing dormancy as loss, we are urged to consider it as preparation. As Bishop Gary Oliver remarked, “you don’t see anything happening above the ground because everything is happening below.” Roots grow deeper, old leaves decompose into nourishment, and lessons learned prepare the soil for the next spring. To skip a season, Dr. Noemi Oliver warned, is to miss the formation of wisdom and peace that each offers.

Embracing the Eternal Constant

Seasons shift, cycles repeat, but the foundation remains. In the words of Bishop Gary Oliver, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. He never shifts. He never changes.” By embracing the seasons, rather than fighting them, we find purpose, wisdom, and peace—nurtured not in the absence of change, but through it.