Seasons of Life: Can We Have it All?
Seasons. Perhaps it’s because I’m in motherhood that this theme has taken on new significance in my life, but it’s truly something I’ve had to ponder and navigate.
Even before having my child, I wrestled with the idea of seasons, so it’s certainly a concept that touches all stages of life. Before my daughter, I supported my husband through the early stages of his career and schooling. As things slowly shifted, I was able to prioritize my own direction, starting school while my husband took on the role of fully supporting us.
We’ve taken turns allowing the other to flourish. I liken it to driving a car, one of us takes the wheel while the other is the passenger, and we switch when the other is tired. Sometimes, we pull over and just enjoy "being," without anyone driving. But when one is driving, the other can fully focus on their journey while trusting the other to handle the reins. Yet, we’re both moving forward together. I appreciate this shared journey because if we were both driving full force in our own careers or pursuits, it would feel like we were in separate cars, in our own worlds. Instead, by taking turns driving the same car, we remain fully engaged in each other’s lives. When it’s my turn to pursue something more fully, he will reciprocate. That mutual understanding makes it easier to slow down now.
Since becoming a mother, the concept of seasons has become even more evident, though I still remind myself of its importance. The idea of taking turns remains true, even now. In motherhood, there’s an expectation to do it all, manage a household, raise a family, build a career, and juggle all the responsibilities that come with it. But if I’ve learned anything from how my husband and I have navigated life together, it’s that there are seasons for everything.
Right now, my daughter is very young, and I remind myself that this is just a season. I’m not chasing my own ambitions at full speed because, in this season, she needs more of me, and I want to savor this time with her. While I still pursue my goals, I do so in a way that fits within the boundaries of this time. I know there will come a season when I can dive deeper into my ambitions with more intensity. At the moment, I’m in the season of littles, and I want to soak it all up because, before I know it, this season will pass. When my daughter is older, I’ll have the space to pursue things at a faster pace, stepping into a new season of life.
Why do we feel the pressure to have it all right now? I’d rather spread out my joys and fully experience each season as it comes. At the moment, I’m in the season of littles, and I want to soak it all up because, before I know it, this season will pass.
But this idea of seasons isn’t reserved for those in marriages or parenting partnerships. It holds true for all of us, for the newly single, the joyfully single, the reluctantly single, and the long-time single and any stage of life.
Some of the people I most admire are living rich, purposeful lives apart from marriage, not because they’ve given up on love, but because they’ve leaned into the season they’ve been given with faith and intention. They remind me that taking turns doesn’t always mean taking turns with a spouse, it can mean making space for a sick parent, investing deeply in friends, pursuing calling without compromise, or resting after a long stretch of striving.
And seasons shift here, too. There are times for connection and times for solitude. Times when your career or calling demands most of your focus, and times when you step back to tend to your soul. There may be seasons when singleness feels deeply freeing, and others when it feels heavy and lonely. Both are real. Both are worthy of being named. But neither is outside God’s providence. So whether you’re sharing the “driver’s seat” with a partner, or navigating the road on your own, the same question applies: What season am I in? And how can I live it well, faithfully, fully, without rushing toward the next mile marker?
Maybe right now, you're in the season of focusing on your education, so you're not in the season of living bigger. You might be in a season of resting and prioritizing your mental health, so heavy aspirations aren't your focus. Perhaps you're diving into a passion project, which means you're waiting on starting a family for a while. Or maybe you're pursuing an athletic endeavor, so a pursuing a romantic relationship isn't your priority. There are two key truths about seasons: First, we have to embrace that life comes in seasons, it helps us rest in the current season. And second, we shouldn’t get stuck in one; seasons are meant to change.
Our culture doesn’t make this easy. It doesn’t honor seasons of life.
It demands momentum. Productivity. Constant availability. It declares that if you’re not building something now, you're falling behind. That if you're not thriving in every area of life, career, family, health, creativity, influence, then you're failing. But the idea of “having it all” is not just exhausting; it’s false. It will always lead to disappointment and overwhelm because you’re trying to live five seasons at once. That’s not freedom. That’s fragmentation. Let me clarify, we can do many things, it just doesn’t have to be all at once. The real lie isn’t in our capacity, but in the timing. That’s the falsehood: the belief that every dream, role, and calling must happen simultaneously.
WHEN WISDOM ENCOUNTERS SCRIPTURE
Research affirms that the pursuit of “having it all”, excelling in every area of life simultaneously, is not only unrealistic, but harmful to mental and emotional health. Research by the American Psychological Association (APA) links this kind of role overload to increased stress, burnout, and emotional exhaustion, particularly among working parents and high-achieving individuals. Psychologist Barry Schwartz, in The Paradox of Choice, explains that trying to maximize every area of life often leads to anxiety and dissatisfaction, not joy. In contrast, embracing life in seasons, focusing intentionally on specific priorities while allowing others to pause, supports healthier psychological functioning. Rather than striving for constant balance or perfection, research suggests we thrive when we honor our limitations, live fully in our present responsibilities, and trust that there will be space for other pursuits in time.
This is where Scripture speaks so profoundly. While modern research uncovers valuable insights, it often falls short of providing lasting peace. It addresses the symptoms but not the complete solution.
Joseph’s life was marked by radical changes in season, from favored son, to betrayed slave, to forgotten prisoner, and finally to powerful ruler. For over a decade, Joseph lived in obscurity, far from the dreams God had given him. But in each season, God was preparing him. Joseph didn't understand it all in real time, but by the end, he could say, "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good..." (Genesis 50:20). Joseph’s life teaches us that even long, painful, silent seasons are never wasted in God’s hands.
God created the world in six days, forming light, sky, land, stars, animals, and humans, each in its own time. Rather than doing everything at once, He worked with intention and rhythm, pausing to call each stage “good.” And on the seventh day, He rested. Even the Creator of the universe chose to work in steps and to honor rest.
Ecclesiastes 3:1 says,
“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.”
Psalm 1:3 says,
“He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.”
I could go on with the biblical stories and scripture that stand by the idea of living life in seasons, But lets think of what does it look like, what is a practical solution?
How do we push back? How do we embrace seasons instead of sprinting through life trying to have it all? The result wouldn’t be stagnation, it would be sustainability. Maybe even joy.
To truly embrace the season we’re in, we have to first recognize where rest comes from, and learn to trust in that. The world urges us to chase after everything all at once, but this constant striving is fueled by a hunger that can never be satisfied, a desire born from the illusion that more will finally make us whole. Yet, time and experience show us it doesn’t. And if chasing everything leaves us empty, while research and wisdom affirm that living within seasons brings greater health and peace, then it begs the question: What can give us rest in the season we’re in?
All this points to something greater, someone greater, that we’re ultimately meant to rest in. Jesus invites us into that rest. Because of His sacrifice, we no longer have to strive to hold it all together. We can trust His plan, even when we don’t see the full picture, because He not only created all things, He holds all things, including us. And one day, when we are fully with Him, all things will be made right. That is the completeness our souls are truly longing for.
So wherever you are today, student, married, single, working, a parent, or not, know this: you are not behind. You are not late to your own life. There is time. More than that, there is grace and rest for the season you’re in, enjoy it. You don’t have to be everywhere at once. You just have to be here, now.
Because for everything there is a season. And this one, whatever it holds, is yours.
