Seasons of Hope

There is beauty in every season.

When I stepped into my garage yesterday morning, I was shocked at how cool the air was. We may be closing in on Labor Day, but the end of August in Georgia, tends to be steamy. Just a couple of weeks earlier, the teachers at our school, had to keep watch on the temperatures and cancel outdoor recess due to the heat.

The heat in August is no surprise to this lifelong southern gal, but the temps in the sixties yesterday morning, truly were. I even momentarily, second guessed my shoe choice. Would my feet be cold in sandals? But, I knew that it would be hot in the afternoon. It turned out to be in the eighties, warm, but still much cooler than it had been.

When I returned home and let my dogs out, I marveled at how green everything still was. My backyard looked the same as it had since June, yet the subtle breeze and the cooler air reminded me that a new season is coming.

As I took a moment to sit on my porch and drink in Creation, I was filled with a little sadness. I have always loved summer, everything from long days at the pool, to nights swinging on the porch, fill me with happy memories. There’s just a slower pace of life that seems to go hand in hand with summer time and I like it.

But, seasons were always meant to change and summer must at some point, come to an end. A new school year has begun and for me, that has meant an empty nest. Both of my kids are off at college, chasing dreams and finding their way in the world and truthfully, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Because the end of one season, always means there’s a new one beginning and as much as I love summer, fall is pretty spectacular too. The air is cool and crisp and the leaves treat us to daily changing works of art by our creative Creator.

Creation becomes an explosion of color and the trees remind us to let go of the things we no longer need. The trees become bare for a season, yet the internal work goes on, deep in their roots, readying them for complete transformation and restoration in the spring.

As I lingered a little longer, I felt a sense of hope growing. I felt a little nudge reminding me of the beauty found in every season. I remembered the Bible verses about a time and a season for everything and I felt a little excitement.

As long as I’m still breathing, God is still writing my story and I have every reason to believe that this season will be filled with a beauty all its own. Some cooler temperatures reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂

When We Fear the Unfamiliar Path

The unfamiliar can often seem scary, but as people of faith, we ever walk alone.

I work in the front office of an elementary school. Because of where I sit, I get to encounter children from all grade levels and I hear amusing and sometimes inspiring, stories from them all day long. My favorite stories are very often from or about, our youngest students, the kindergarteners.

One of our custodians was buffing the floors out in the hall. The buffing machine is quite large and fairly noisy, but I never gave it much thought. Apparently, one of the kindergarteners did. She marched right up to that custodian, pointed to the machine and told him that she was afraid of it.

Since he’s one of the kindest men I have ever known, he took the time to calmly explain to her that he was just using it to clean the floors and there was nothing to be afraid of. I think she was satisfied because she went on her way.

I thought about that story long after he told it. I have always had a special heart for the kindergarteners at the beginning of each school year. Everything is new to them and they are all so small. heir backpacks are bigger than they are. It’s very easy to see how they can be completely overwhelmed at times.

But, haven’t we all been there? We’ve all been new in some unfamiliar place or situation. Maybe it was a new school, or a new job, or a new church, or even a new relationship of some sort. It could have been facing and then navigating, a serious illness or walking along side someone who we love, who was. It could have been a new chapter of some sort in our own unfolding story.

Like those kindergartners, we have all carried something around that’s bigger than we are and change is hard, no matter your age.

When we find ourselves in the unfamiliar, it’s easy to be gripped with fear. When that happens, we can shrink back and hide under the covers. We can ball up our fists and stomp our feet in anger at the unfairness of it all. We can allow ourselves to drown in sadness, wanting desperately to go back to what was.

But, as Christians, we have another option. We can go to God and cry out for help and mercy. We can pray for strength and courage. We can pray for healing and direction. We can pray for patience. We can pray for peace.

Quite often, the answers are not immediate, but we will get them because the more we lean into God, the more we learn to believe the absolute truth in Jesus’ words, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

Sometimes He even sends kindly people to point out that the loud scary thing we were afraid of, was nothing to fear after all. A kindergartener and a wise custodian, reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂