Every woman walks through seasons: some heavy, some hopeful, some that stretch her.
The Five Seasons I teach started with my own story, and Survival is where my story started. What changed things for me wasn’t trying harder. It was letting God meet me in the honest, unpolished places.
Over the years, I’ve seen women of faith walk through five seasons: Survival, Striving, Surrender, Obedience, and Alignment. Each one asks something different of you, and each one has a next step.
WHAT ARE THE FIVE SEASONS OF A WOMAN’S FAITH JOURNEY?
The five seasons are Survival, Striving, Surrender, Obedience, and Alignment. In Survival, you’re just trying to get through. In Striving, you’re working hard and tired inside. In Surrender, you’re ready to loosen your grip and ask, “God, what do You need from me?” In Obedience, you sense Him calling you into something new, and what’s in the way isn’t knowing. It’s stepping. In Alignment, you know who God says you are, and you’re living it. Naming your season is the first step, because you can’t navigate what you don’t understand.
SEASON ONE: SURVIVAL
You may be in a season of Survival if this sounds familiar:
Right now, you’re just trying to get through. Maybe a setback knocked the wind out of you, or life has been heavy for longer than you’d like to admit. You might feel alone even in a full room, or like everyone else got a manual for life that you never received. Underneath it all is a quiet question: will life ever get better?
A truth for this season: You don’t have to have it together for God to meet you here. He meets us in our brokenness and is our safe place.
“The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” Psalm 34:18 (NASB)
If what you’re carrying feels like more than a hard season, please reach out to a counselor you trust. If you’re having thoughts of not wanting to be here, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, any time.
SEASON TWO: STRIVING
You may be in a season of Striving if this sounds familiar:
From the outside, you’re handling it. You work hard, show up for everyone, and stay busy. Inside, you’re tired. You’ve been pushing and praying, and you’re starting to wonder why God isn’t blessing what you’re doing. Your time with Him has become one more thing on the list, and rest feels like falling behind.
A truth for this season: Only God can grow a seed. Your part is to sow, cultivate, and water. The growth is His.
“‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the LORD of hosts.” Zechariah 4:6 (NASB)
SEASON THREE: SURRENDER
You may be in a season of Surrender if this sounds familiar:
You’ve done so much right, and your life still doesn’t look the way you thought it would. You’re tired of carrying everything on your own. Something in you is ready to loosen your grip on the plan, the timing, and how things “should” look, and to ask, “God, what do You need from me?”
A truth for this season: God is sovereign, all-knowing, trustworthy, and faithful. You can release what you can’t control into hands that can hold it.
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5–6 (NASB)
SEASON FOUR: OBEDIENCE
You may be in a season of Obedience if this sounds familiar:
You’ve already surrendered your plans to God, and now you sense Him calling you into something new. You may not know exactly what it looks like yet, but the nudge keeps coming back. What’s in the way isn’t knowing. It’s stepping. Fear, overthinking, and “What if I’m not enough?” keep you on the sidelines.
A truth for this season: Without faith it is impossible to please God, and faith is meant to move.
“Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?’ Then I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’” Isaiah 6:8 (NASB)
SEASON FIVE: ALIGNMENT
You may be in a season of Alignment if this sounds familiar:
You’ve done the work. You know who God says you are, and you’re living it: leading, serving, and pouring into others. The risks now are quieter: pouring out more than you’re poured into, drifting from intentional to busy, or settling when God is calling you higher. You sense a next assignment, but you haven’t had the space to hear it clearly.
A truth for this season: I am who God says I am.
“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10 (NASB)
A COACHING MOMENT: NAME YOUR SEASON AND YOUR NEXT STEP
Read back through the five seasons. Which one sounds like your life right now?
Naming it is where change begins. And every season has a next step that fits it.
Not sure what season you’re even in? Take my free 2-minute quiz and find out, plus your next step. Answer 7 quick questions to find out which season you’re in right now and what your next step could be.
WORK WITH CHARAE
I’m Charae Tucker, a certified Christian life coach and the founder of Thrive From Within. I help women bridge the gap from where they are to where God is calling them to be.
If you sense God is preparing you for something bigger, get on the Called & Aligned waitlist so you’re first to know when the dates are released:
Join the Called & Aligned waitlist
RELATED READING: “WHEN SOMETHING FEELS OFF BUT YOU CAN’T NAME IT” AND “YOU OBEYED GOD…NOW WHAT?”
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Do I have to have it together before God meets me in a hard season?
No. You don’t have to have it together for God to meet you here. He meets us in our brokenness and is our safe place.
Is surrender the same as giving up?
Surrender isn’t giving up. It’s trading control for trust.
How long does the seasons quiz take?
About 2 minutes. You’ll answer 7 quick questions and find out which season you’re in right now and what your next step could be.
