Embracing This Season of Change

 

For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.

Ecclesiastes 3:1


We are officially full-on into the fall season. Evidence of that is all around us here in the Midwest part of the country.

The summer’s heat has begun to slowly dissipate. Mornings are darker as days are becoming shorter.

Fog alerts are more frequent, and steam rises from nearby ponds. The once-green leaves now dress themselves in vibrant hues before they swirl their way to the ground.

T-shirts and shorts are being traded in for jackets and jeans. Iced tea is being replaced by warm pumpkin spice lattes.

Once again, we find ourselves in the embrace of autumn, the season of change.

This change of season may be reflected in other changes beyond nature. You might be packing up your college student or sitting in long carpool lines or attending soccer games or volleyball matches. You might find yourself taking more couch time while watching football.

You might be calling for a checkup on your furnace or cleaning out the fireplace.  You might be winterizing your lawn mower or servicing your snowblower.

In this flurry of activity, your mind can easily wander to the upcoming holidays and the need to plan for family gatherings.

If you’re a pastor, you find yourself gearing up for a new church year, launching new initiatives, and even pondering your Christmas Eve services.

And, if we aren’t careful, in the midst of all this busyness we may miss some of the wonders and lessons that the Lord has for us right now.

So, allow me to suggest three practices for you to embrace to make the most of this season of change.

3 Practices for Embracing This Season of Change

  1. Slow down. 
    Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still and know that I am God.” What better time to take a walk through the woods and allow the beauty that is around you to trigger a time of worship?  The fall season with its unique beauty invites us ponder the wonder of the One who is faithful through all the seasons of life.
     

  2. Let go.
    I Peter 5:7 says, “Cast all your anxiety on God, for He cares for you.” The falling leaves serve as a visual parable of the process of releasing our worries, fears, and pain that have accumulated over the past months.
     

  3. Embrace change.
    Isaiah 43:19 says, “For I am about to do something new.” Autumn vividly demonstrates to us that change is not just inevitable, but also beautiful.


Perhaps a question to consider is, “What change is God calling me to make in my life?” Perhaps you need to change your devotional practices to make your time in prayer or Scripture more meaningful.

Maybe you need to make a change in your schedule to create more margins of work and rest or to allow for more time for loved ones.

In the grand symphony of the seasons, autumn isn’t merely a placeholder between summer and winter.  It stands out as a great reminder that there is much that the Lord wants to do in us here and now.

Change is in the air. So, make the most of it.

 


 
 
 

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