Team Not Tired
Team Not Tired is a podcast and community for busy Christian women who are ready to live their lives as ministry—without losing themselves in the process. Here, burnout is not a badge of honor. Together, we discover a better way: one fueled by grace, purpose, and sustainable rhythms that honor God and who He’s called us to be.
Team Not Tired
Every Season is Significant
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
What if the season you want to rush through is doing more than you can see? This week, we’re talking strawberries, pruning, patience, and how God can produce lasting fruit in every season.
What do we do again? What do we say? What's your name?
SPEAKER_00I've been here before, right? All right, team.
SPEAKER_02We are looking at it.
SPEAKER_00Today we are team tired. I am not buying what you are selling. Well, hey, Ashley, I will be, I will be full disclosure. I am tired today, but I am not tired of the conversations that we are going to have today. And so I'm so glad that you're here because you are going first. And I'm so thankful for that because it's been a very early morning of my child waking me up at 3:30. And I know that I'm not the only one that that happens to. And even then, we are gonna continue to move on the conversation of seasons today. That's right. So I know that this is just a season, right?
SPEAKER_01Of small kids. Just a season, friend. Hang in there. Your kids won't always be waking you up at 3:30, Shireen. Yes, Lord. It's a good conversation for us to have today. And you know, there are times when we sit to record and we go, man, it feels a lot more like team tired today than team not tired. But maybe you feel like that too. And that's okay. We're all in this together. And the the hope and the goal is that by the end of this 20 minutes, you'll feel refreshed, you'll feel reminded of God's truth. And you may still feel tired in your physical body, but hope hopefully you'll feel a little more energized in the spirit.
SPEAKER_00I am so glad. I sure hope so.
SPEAKER_01Today I want us to talk about how every season is significant. And that there are so many different conversations around seasons. It's not a new topic. And yet I think it's just a great reminder for us to remember that God can use every single season of our life to contribute to the fruit that He's called us to produce, right? As believers, we're called to abide, we're called to bear fruit that comes from abiding in the vine and being close and personal and intimate and connected to Jesus. And yet, not every season actually produces fruit.
SPEAKER_00That's so true.
SPEAKER_01And I'm reminded of this because you and I both live down the street from this beauty, amazing fruit stand. And if you don't know, Shereen and I live in Northern California in the Central Valley. Yes, and there is so much agriculture where we live.
SPEAKER_00It's it really we're really spoiled when it comes down to it. Like we live in this beautiful breadbasket of like farm to fork, like in every essence of the word.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. In my in my 15-minute commute to work, I work at our church, I pass vineyards, I pass cherry groves, I pass almond groves, what else? Cows. Some of that, but like right now it's fall, so there's pumpkins and corn. And so there's just there's so much produce that's available to us where we live. And there's this incredible fruit stand right down the road from us. And in my opinion, I think they have the best strawberries. I would 100% agree.
SPEAKER_00And if anyone else locally would like to come at us, I would love to sit down and chat because the one across town is not it. It is not the business. No.
SPEAKER_01And so we always, once spring hits, once it starts getting close to April, May, we are like counting down the days till we see that sign go out that says that this fruit stand is open.
SPEAKER_02Correct.
SPEAKER_01And unfortunately, now that it is the end of summer, we're getting into fall, the dreaded closed for the season sign is now out, which means the summer produce is done. And we have to wait so many months until spring comes back, and we see that strawberry open for business sign come back out again. And it's such a great reminder to me of the importance of seasons, that every season in that farmer's life of the planting, the pruning, the being planted underground where there's nothing to see, nothing to show for to pulling the weeds, pulling the weeds, you know, caring, fertilizing, watering, all of the things lead to this great fruit, but you're not always in harvest, and the fruit is not always available. And this isn't a new concept for any of us, but I think it's really important in this conversation at Team Not Tired today, as we're talking to busy Christian women who are trying to find the grace to run their race at a sustainable pace. I think a lot of us get tired because we don't know the season we're in.
SPEAKER_00Yes, I would a hundred percent agree. And and it's hard because we want so badly to move forward in the season of harvest. And, you know, even producer Blake was like, I want strawberries in December. And how many of us want strawberries in December? Hopefully, all of us. I mean, for the best fruit. It is. It I would agree. And yet, in order for that strawberry to be harvested, it needs to go through the process.
SPEAKER_01Yep. And the process is not fun, the process is painful, dirty, right? Like pruning is is painful, and yet Ecclesiastes tells us there's a season for everything.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01It says there's a time appointed for every delight and event and purpose under heaven, a time to plant and a time to uproot. He made everything beautiful and appropriate in its time. And I I just think that as women in particular, it's it's a little different than men. You know, so many of us live seasonally, right? Like I look in my closet and I go into my closet and I can remember when I bought certain things based on the season of life I was in. It's like, oh, I bought that when we lived in Florida. Yeah. Oh, I bought that when I was pregnant with Bria. Oh, I bought, you know, and and I can look and do the same with like furniture around my house or just memories. They're they're tied to seasons, not years. I could never tell you what year I bought my favorite coat.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01But I could tell you the season I was in when I bought it. Right. And so it's very, it's very natural and normal for us to do that. But I think if we miss knowing the season that we're in, we can carry around this unnecessary frustration. Right. I see so many ladies that are frustrated because their friend is in harvest season and they're in pruning season. It's like, well, you can't be in harvest all the time.
SPEAKER_00Right. And it's so silly that we think that when the Bible literally, which you just read, says that there is a season for everything. And and that's a whole nother topic of conversation of jealousy of your sister who has done the hard work, who's toiled, and now it's her, you know, harvest season. You I really hope that we're the girls, girls that will cheer our sister on and say, hey, like if this harvest season can come for you, that means if I'm doing the work, if I'm find, if I'm found where the Lord has me in my lane, running my race, sowing the seeds that he has for me, my harvest day will come too. And I hope someone besides the Lord is cheering me on. Because sometimes, I don't know about you, but sometimes these seasons are a long. And so how do you like, how do you rectify that? How do you get through those long seasons?
SPEAKER_01I well, I think part of it is it comes back to our trust in the Lord. And really, when we're in those seasons, it's a reflection of of our trust and faith in the Lord. And I've been there, like I have been in long seasons where I felt so hidden and so forgotten. And I just felt like I was in winter for years. Yeah. And that wasn't the reality, but that's how I felt. And I just remember thinking, is this it? Like, am I in am I forever in winter? Winter. Yeah. And I'm reminded of God's timing is not our timing. And I think I think it's amazing that in in creation, even we see that God's timing is not our timing because He's created so many different things that are on different timelines. You think about bamboo, and and bamboo in its growth season is the fastest growing plant. It can grow two to three feet in a day. Which is so incredible.
SPEAKER_00So incredible.
SPEAKER_01Like, and then you have something called a corpse flower, which takes seven to ten years to gather enough energy for one bloom cycle. I feel like that. So just these like crazy extremes of these things doing exactly what they've been purposed to do, exactly what they've been created to do, but they have extremely different life cycles and extremely different timelines. And so I just think we could save ourselves a lot of frustration to recognize my timeline doesn't have to look like hers. Yes. My season doesn't have to look like hers. And yet I can lean into the fact that I serve a good gardener and trust that he has me exactly where I'm supposed to be and exactly the life cycle that I'm supposed to be on right now. Yeah. And if I can trust that, knowing that we serve a good God who wants good things for his children, then no matter the season I'm in, it's good.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, he is so faithful in every single season. We might not be found faithful, but he is. And I think it's interesting too that you bring up purpose because I think season and purpose really can go hand in hand if you're looking through the lens of regardless of the season I'm in, my purpose is to serve the Lord. Regardless of the season I'm in, I'm here to worship the Lord in the valley and in the summit, regardless of what season you're in. And that that's really, really hard because, like you, I've been in a winter season too, where I'm like, is this my life? But why? I did everything right. I did everything I was supposed to, and yet I'm not going to be in a harvest season all of my life. Like, and to think that and say that out loud, like it sounds silly, but a lot of us, especially here in the Western world, really think that we should be. How do you how do we move from that to hey, I'm in this season right now, and and God is going to continue to be faithful and mercy and goodness follows me all the rest of my days. And how do I how do I be content in that season?
SPEAKER_01I think that's that's I think that's the question all of us are asking, right? Is is it comes down to contentment not based on our circumstances. And I think to this point, you know, the conversation has really been circumstantial. Like we're talking about seasons in terms of what we see around us. And and that's true. Like creation itself screams that God's created things to be seasonal. And those are physical circumstances around us. And yet I'm gonna say something else that is gonna sound like I'm talking out both sides of my mouth, but there's a spiritual aspect to seasons that reminds us that God is actually not restricted by physical seasons. Jeremiah 17, verse 7, it says, But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, he will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It doesn't fear when heat comes, its leaves are always green, always, always green, it has no worries in a year of drought, and it never fails to bear fruit. There's a another translation says it never stops producing fruit. So Jeremiah is talking about a tree that isn't limited by seasons. Right. There's no harvest season for this tree that's planted. It's always green. It's always green, and it's always bearing fruit. And so we talk about physical seasons and physical circumstances, and yet we're spiritual beings called to always bear fruit. And I think this is where we have to walk with purpose as Christian women, as just believers in Jesus, to go, I am actually called to never stop producing spiritual fruit, regardless of the season I'm in physically, spiritually, I'm always called to be producing fruit. Whether I'm in a winter season, whether I'm in a harvest season, I'm actually always called to harvest spiritually. And this is where I go, that that abiding in the vine. Yeah. That he Jesus talks about in John 15, where it's like, abide in me and I in you, and you will bear much fruit. Right. And so I think it's just a good reminder for us, no matter the season of life you're in, as a believer in Jesus, you're always called to bear fruit. And it's a good reflection for us today. What kind of fruit am I bearing? Am I am I letting my my circumstances dictate the spiritual fruit of my life? And if so, yeah, what do we need to do to change that?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I I think it's a great, great question and something to definitely consider and chew on and meditate on of like, am I abiding in Christ? Or am I feeding off my circumstances? It reminds me of one of my favorite verses, which is James chapter 1, verse 2. Like, count it all joy when you go in trials and tribulations. Because there's lots of trials and tribulations in life, and yet, like, like this beautiful tree that scripture points to us of like we're always supposed to be found producing fruit, you can also be joyful in that season as well. I think that's something that we're all trying to navigate and find find Christ in those moments, in our purpose and in our season. And I think, you know, it's important to know what season you're in. Right. Going back to the original start of this this podcast of like what season are you really in? And are you are you really abiding in him?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I think I think what gives me purpose in some of the harder seasons and and really motivates me to continue to persevere, to like bear that spiritual fruit that we're talking about, regardless of my circumstances, is the fact that we're really made to not just bear fruit, but to produce seeds and to sow seeds. And I see a lot of women walking around. I I used this illustration, I think, in a sermon one time where I said we need to be sowing our seeds, not spitting our seeds. Yeah. And there's a reason that the Bible uses fruit as this metaphor for us as believers as to what we're produ to produce. Doesn't use vegetables. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Because vegetables don't have seeds. Well, unless you count a tomato. That's a fruit. That's a fruit. Yeah. You're trying to ruin my illustration of that. I know, no, you're right. I was like, wait a minute, a tomato is not considered a fruit. That's right, because it has seeds.
SPEAKER_01Okay, got it. And so this idea that yes, we're called to produce spiritual fruit, but it's not just for us. It's for others. And as a mom, I'm constantly thinking of what seeds am I producing that are gonna that are meant for my children? Yeah. What what am I sowing into the future generation through the seeds that my fruit is producing? Or am I just flippant with what God's given me? Am I just flippant and don't think it matters? And I'm not taking the time to sow and invest and plant, right? I'm only thinking about myself and the fruit that I'm bearing for my own pleasure and enjoyment rather than who it's feeding for the next generation.
SPEAKER_00Right. Well, and sometimes, I don't know about you, but I have found we, and I'll say we because I I'll include myself in it, of use using our season as an excuse. Well, I'm just in a hard season, and so I get to act like a brat. Right.
SPEAKER_01And or you push pause on everything and think that you don't still have to produce because your circumstances are hard. Right. The Bible doesn't say that.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, there is definitely no pause button in the Bible. I have yet to see that story or that parable. But I I think that's a great place for us to challenge ourselves of like, okay, if that's the case, then I really shouldn't use my season as an excuse.
SPEAKER_01Yep. We're called, we're called as believers to lasting fruit. And so I would ask us today just to consider what are you planting, what are you producing, or what are you pruning in your life right now that's gonna lead to lasting fruit? Because that's what we've been asked. That's what's been asked of us is to abide in the vine so that we can produce lasting fruit. And when we consider that every season of our lives is significant, yeah, then we know that's the goal and that that's what we're capable of.
SPEAKER_00I think that's awesome and a great reminder, especially as we kind of walk into this holiday season. And so if you are listening and you find yourself in a in a season, maybe ask yourself those questions that Ashley just posed to us of what season am I in? What seeds am I producing? What am I sowing? And how am I sowing it? Am I and I am I spitting them out? And are they falling on good or hard soil? Where are those seeds falling? So if you found yourself today just in a hard season, know that we're praying for you. We do pray for our listeners and we want you to know that you're not alone and you're not isolated in those those hard seasons. And if you're you find yourself in a harvest season, like go off, queen. You know, we are also here cheering you on, yeah, because we know that there is a season for everything, and there's a season that you're walking through, and we want to be able to be there for both and cheer you on or sit in your in your grief with you because it also calls the Bible, also calls us to bear witness and share each other's burdens as well. So I hope that you are encouraged, challenged, and just know that we are cheering you on. Till next time, friends. Welcome to the