In this inaugural September episode of the "Living in Your Power" podcast, Dr. Marleen Greenleaf ties Labor Day to a broader spiritual reflection on unseen personal growth. She opens by honoring the contributions of workers and uses the holiday as a springboard to discuss how progress often occurs beneath the surface, invisible to the eye. Drawing on Galatians 6:9, she frames life in seasonal terms—planting, tending, waiting, and reaping—emphasizing that God cultivates character traits such as patience, discernment, and confidence before any external harvest appears. Dr. Greenleaf challenges listeners who feel stuck or discouraged to shift focus from what’s missing to what’s developing internally. She offers a series of empowerment prompts encouraging self‑assessment of growth since the start of the year, inviting listeners to articulate evidence of internal change and to commit to continued tending. The episode concludes with a call to honor the season’s lessons, celebrate small signs of progress, and trust that unseen development has purpose, setting the stage for the next episode on embracing each season’s teachings.
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Well, hello, my valued listeners, and welcome to a brand new month of Living in Your Power. I'm your host, Dr. Marleen Greenleaf, and I am truly grateful that you have chosen again to spend this time with me today. Now, and today, as we observe Labor Day here in the United States, I want to take a moment to recognize the work, dedication, and contributions of people across every profession and walk of life. Labor Day also gives us an opportunity to pause from work and reflect not only on what we've accomplished but on what the work itself may be developing within us. And sometimes, sometimes the results of our efforts Aren't immediately visible, but that doesn't mean growth isn't taking place. And that thought leads beautifully into today's conversation. Yes, September is here. September is here. And there's something about this time of year that naturally invites reflection. Summer begins giving way to fall, And the days gradually become shorter. The rhythms around us begin to change. And whether we realize it or not, we're changing too. I mean, last month our conversations centered around moving with intention, taking the next step, moving at the pace of peace, preparing for opportunity, finding courage in unfamiliar spaces and trusting who we're becoming along the way. So this month, this lovely month of September, I want us to pay attention to what the journey itself has been teaching us. So our September theme, it's entitled The Wisdom of the Season. Recognizing what this season And we're beginning with something that I think many of us need to be reminded of, that not all growth is immediately visible. So today's episode is titled Pay Attention to What Is Growing. So let's dig in. Now we notice what's missing before we notice what's growing. Now, have you ever worked towards something for so long that you became discouraged because it didn't seem to be happening quickly enough? I mean, you've been consistent, you've prayed, you've prepared, you showed up, and you've done the work, and yet, and yet, the results you were hoping for still hasn't fully appeared. I mean, it's easy in those moments to focus on what's missing because the opportunity hasn't come. The goal you set hasn't been reached, and the answer you haven't received. The relationship that hasn't changed. The business that isn't where you expected it to be. The dream that still seems so very far away. And when we spend too much time looking at what's missing, we can completely overlook what's growing. Because growth doesn't always look like arrival. Sometimes, sometimes growth looks like greater confidence, better boundaries, more patience, a clearer sense of direction. The courage to say no. The wisdom to wait. The ability to recover more quickly when something doesn't work. Or simply recognizing that something that once disturbed your peace doesn't have the same power over you anymore. That, that's growth too. And perhaps one of the wisest things we can learn in Any season is how to recognize progress before it becomes a finished product. So our scripture today is taken from Galatians 6:9, the New King James Version, and it says, and let us not be weary in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap if we faint not. Mm-hmm. In due Season. Those 3 words matter because scripture doesn't promise that everything happens immediately. There's a season for planting, a season for tending, a season for waiting, and yes, a season for reaping. The challenge, my dear listeners, is that we often want to move directly from planting To harvest. Yes, we plant the seed on Monday and start looking for fruit by Friday. I mean Friday of the same week, or maybe Friday next Friday. But when, when we don't see it, we wonder whether anything is happening. But much of the growth happens where we cannot see it. Before a plant even breaks through the soil, something has already begun beneath the surface. You know, roots are forming. The seed is changing and life is developing. So the absence of visible evidence doesn't mean the absence of growth. And I think that's important spiritually too. God may be developing something in you before he produces something through you. That could be patience, discernment, character, wisdom, capacity, faith. Mm-hmm. The harvest may not be visible yet, but that doesn't mean the work isn't happening. That's why scripture tells us, don't become weary. Keep tending And sometimes we need to stop long enough to gather evidence of our own growth, not because we're trying to prove something, but because remembering strengthens us. Think about who you were at the beginning of this year. I know we're in September already, but what were you worried about? I was worried about my health. What were you praying about and what were you trying to understand or what felt difficult at the beginning of this year? Now ask yourself, what has changed in me since then? Maybe the situation hasn't completely changed, the one that you've been waiting for, But perhaps you have. Maybe you're more discerning. Maybe you're less reactive. Maybe you stopped chasing things that aren't aligned. Maybe you've learned that a closed door doesn't automatically mean rejection. Maybe you've become more comfortable with uncertainty. Or maybe you've learned to protect your peace without apologizing for it. And maybe, maybe you've finally taken a step you've been afraid to take. Now those things matter, and they matter because we sometimes measure growth only by outcome. You know, we want to know, well, how much did I earn? What did I accomplish? What did I finish? What did I receive? But some of our greatest growth can't be measured that way. It just cannot. Sometimes the harvest is internal before it becomes external, and when we learn to recognize that, gratitude replaces Some of the frustration. I mean, we— so we stop saying nothing is happening and we begin instead to say something is growing here. So let's return to today's scripture as we do our empowerment prompts. It says, Let us not be weary in well-doing, for in due season We shall reap if we faint not. So again, maybe you're in a season right now where you're tired. You've been doing the right things, you've been faithful, you've been consistent, and you're still wondering when, when you'll finally see the results. I want to encourage you not to dismiss what's happening simply because the harvest isn't complete in your eyes. I want you to look closer. What has the season already produced? So for your empowerment prompt, I want you to take a few minutes this week and reflect on these. Ask yourself, what has grown in me since the beginning of this year? Where am I stronger, wiser, or more discerning? What am I doing differently today because of what I've learned? Have I been overlooking progress because I'm focused on what hasn't happened yet? And what do I need to continue tending even though I haven't seen the full harvest? And then finish this sentence: I know I am growing because— I know I am growing because— Don't rush the answer. I want you to sit with it, and you may discover more evidence than you expected. So in closing, dear listeners, As we begin this September journey together, I want you to remember, everything growing in your life will not be immediately visible. Everything growing in your life will not be immediately visible. Some things are still taking root. Some things are developing beneath the surface. Some things are strengthening you before they even show up around you. So don't become so focused on the harvest that you miss the growth. Pay attention. Honor the progress. Celebrate the small evidence. Keep tending what's been entrusted to you. And trust that what God is developing in this season has purpose, even if you don't fully understand it yet. Because sometimes before we can appreciate what a season has produced, we first have to recognize what it has been teaching us. So I want to thank you for joining me for the first episode in our September series, The Wisdom of the Season: Recognizing What the Season is Teaching You. Next week, we'll continue with Every Season Has Something to Teach You. We'll explore what happens when we stop fighting the season we're in long enough to ask what it may be developing within us. So until next time, those I want you to honor, appreciate this Labor Day holiday, and I want you to live boldly in your power today. And if it gets tough, just breathe. You've still got the strength to rise. So until next time, dear listeners, I want you to continue to live in your power.
