I have been preparing all week for today. Ever since I saw the forecast declaring a thirty degree drop in temperatures my heart has been all a flutter with excitement for autumn. My absolute favorite time of year! My husband asked me last night why I’m so excited. I love every seasonal change, but why autumn so much more? And that got me thinking. The smell of bonfires? Crispy leaves underfoot? The dancing of colors down winding roads? Cozy hoodies?
Those all sound wonderful but really, that wasn’t it.
And then it hit me. It’s the traditions. I know what’s coming every autumn. I know we’ll go apple picking.
I know we’ll have a bonfire and s’mores.
I eagerly anticipate the pots of soup simmering all day long. Leaving windows open. Gatherings with friends and family. All of it! Every blessed second!
If only we could enjoy the changing seasons of our lives as much. But we resist. We see change coming around the corner and we take a step back! Trying to hold on to what is or to what was. Or to what we thought we were going to see {or forbid, what we believe we deserve}.
As followers of Christ we need to live our lives the way we proclaim to believe. Do we trust Him to take us through the valley? Will we trust His guidance when we feel we’ve been cheated? Are we living for His glory or for our own? Traditions are wonderful. Celebrating the changing of seasons is good. We now need to learn to take hold and celebrate the changes in our lives just as much. Just like autumn is a time for the beauty to die down and to prepare for the next year. The Lord has given our lives seasons. Appreciate and embrace each moment you are given. Each breath is a blessing and an opportunity to praise Him. Be thankful.
{A Time for Everything}
For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
a time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace.
{Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 ESV}
Blessings!
