The 4 Seasons Every Leader Must Steward

I recently watched Netflix’s animated film “David” on the life of King David and was reminded of the four leadership seasons King David had to steward in his life. 

I believe every leader has to steward these same four seasons at some point in his or her leadership journey. 

These seasons are four distinct experiences that can overlap and occur simultaneously. They also do not occur linearly but can cycle through multiple times in one’s leadership journey. 

1. The Season of Anonymity 

This is a time when a leader’s public influence is largely hidden as one develops quietly. In David’s case, this was when he was a shepherd “keeping his father’s sheep” (1 Sam 17:34). No one outside of his town knew who he was but he was growing in his competence as a shepherd who defended them from lions and bears. 

This season can happen unconsciously in which a leader does not realize he or she is hidden or it can occur with conscious frustration in the heart of a leader. This season is important because the individual is able to make mistakes in one’s developmental journey without staining one’s public credibility. 

2. The Season of Ascendance 

This is a time when the leader begins to emerge out of hiddenness and becomes recognized for specific gifts and competencies. For David, this is when he was invited to play the lyre for Saul eventually becoming Saul’s armor-bearer (1 Samuel 16:21-23). David also ascended when he conquered Goliath (1 Samuel 17). 

This is the season when a leader is given a task, project, or a role commensurate with one’s area of gifting and calling. This is an important season because it is a moment of clarity in which the leader better grasps the gifts the Lord has deposited in the leader and how the Lord may want to use the individual. 

3. The Season of Adversity 

This is a time when the leader begins to experience opposition of various kinds. For David, this was a 7-13 year period in which he ran from King Saul who tried to take his life. This was also the civil-war he experienced when his own son Absalom usurped the throne. 

This is the time period when a leader begins to experience criticism and complaints for things one is able to control. It’s a time when a leader must navigate complex situations outside of one’s control. This is a critical time because it drives the leader to his or her knees away from self-reliance reminding the leader that strength from the Lord and the counsel of others is non-negotiable.

4. The Season of Authority 

This is a time when the leader occupies and stewards a role which leverages one’s combined cumulative previous experiences with high symmetry of one’s wiring and gifting. For David, this was his forty year role as the king of Israel which pulled in his prior experiences as a shepherd, musician, and warrior. 

This is a special time when someone occupies a role or a function for which he or she believes God has appointed and prepared the individual for all along. It is a time when one can only make sense of it as one looks back and traces God’s sovereign hand.

Submit and Steward Every Season

Which season are you in?

You may find yourself to be in two seasons at once where you’re in a role that you feel appointed to and yet find yourself in adversity. 

Submit to and steward the day the Lord has made. This is the simple invitation for us all in every season.

Penultimately, the Lord wants to use it to bless and serve others no matter the season you’re in. It’s really about others. 

Ultimately, the Lord wants to do a beautiful work in you forming you into the image of Jesus and will use every season for your transformation.

Submit to your season and steward today with diligence. This brings God great pleasure and makes much of Him.