‘For everything that happens in life—there is a season, a right time for everything under heaven.’ (Ecclesiastes 3:1 The Voice)

I love the transition between two seasons, but I particularly love the change from spring to summer. The beauty that was birthed in spring seems to come into the fullness of life in summer – the trees get greener, the flowers open fully and the sun shines for longer. There seems to be a natural progression from spring to summer that I don't always see with other seasons – the change between autumn and winter seems harsh and the shift from winter to spring feels like an awakening. The change from spring to summer, however, feels gentle and soft.

I am entering a new season in my working life too, transitioning from my formal role as a Navigator Representative into a career in counselling. As I reflect on my 10 years in Navs, I can see how I began in a spring season, which has gradually blossomed into summer, as the depth of my conviction for the alongsider movement and what it needs has grown. I’d love to share with you some of my key reflections…

1. ‘It takes a village to raise a disciple’

As I look back over the past 10 years, the first thing I am struck by is how I have been raised by a community of believers, who have come alongside me in intentional and loving ways.

I cannot say that one person raised me to be a disciple of Jesus; instead it's taken a village of people, some I saw as frequently as if they were neighbours, some less regularly, like bumping into a friend in the village square.

Every interaction, however, no matter how big or small has been formative in my walk with the Lord. This has left me to conclude that it really does take a village to raise a disciple.

How can you have this perspective as you come alongside another person? Who else do they have in their life other than you? How can you encourage them to be part of someone else’s ‘village’?

2. ‘Pace setter, not trend setter’

I often find the pace of discipleship frustrating (even though I can see how the Lord uses it for my growth). When I was a young believer, a wonderful woman named Jennie met with me every week, as I completed two years of the Navigator internship programme called Connect.

Every week, we’d meet in a coffee shop across from her office. She’d rush over straight from work and sit down with a pot of tea and an open heart. Week after week, she provided a space for me to process all the highs and lows of life. She helped me as I made significant life decisions; she cried when I cried, laughed when I laughed.

Jenny is someone who is an ordinary everyday person, who chose to invest deeply in me once a week. There was nothing showy or fancy about these two years. If anyone saw us in that coffee shop, they wouldn’t bat an eyelid.

As God called me to run the race ahead of me, it was these simple, unassuming times with Jenny that helped set a pace for me. They taught me not to sprint but to run with endurance. Who are you a pace-setter for?

3. ‘Your Father, who sees what is done in secret’

The biggest thing I have learned about getting alongside someone else is to first allow God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit to come alongside me. In March 2020, I was convicted that I was not spending time with the Lord in a way that would fuel my life and ministry.

The Lord convicted me of this in a very gentle way and encouraged me to create what I came to call a ‘Mary corner’ in my flat. This was simply a chair turned in, towards a wall that was covered in Bible verses. This was inspired by Luke 10:38-42, where Jesus tells us that Mary chose the better option by sitting at his feet.

In 2020, I felt that much action needed to be taken, particularly when I was handed a student ministry the same week as the lockdown began. However, during the two years of the pandemic, the Lord taught me the power of the secret place as opposed to the public space.

Leaning into that daily dependence upon the Lord shapes my interactions and realigns my heart to the Father. First letting the Father come alongside me has a direct correlation on how I am able to come alongside others. Where is your secret place that enables you to get alongside someone else?

As I move into this new season, I continue to listen to the wisdom of those who have walked alongside me for the past decade. As I seek to advance God's kingdom as a counsellor, I am deeply grateful for all I have learnt with Navs and, much like spring moving to summer, this change feels gentle and beautiful. My desire is for you to be encouraged as you get alongside others, as you see God beautify them from one season of their life and to another.