Does Fall do to you what it does to me? Does it transport you to the past? Or maybe it inspires you to transform, to restyle your life like trees that tint their leaves.
I wake, dress, grab my essentials and walk onto the carport. The breeze flutters through my hair. No more gummy sweat gluing clothes to my body. I feel alive!
But I also feel wistful. I sense a vague feeling of longing. Of missing my parents and other people who shared previous Falls with me.
It’s a lovely emptiness. A contradiction of sensations.
At the same time, I’m stuck. We’re stuck. We’re stuck in another season. Pandemic season. We’re stuck staying home more than we’d like. We’re stuck distancing from people we want to hug. Some of us are stuck in depression. Anger. Frustration. I see a lot of parallels ….
I think a lot of us are stuck a cycle of grief. We may be continuing to intensely grieve the loss of a loved one who died while we also wrestle with these new losses. Loss of freedom. Loss of income. Loss of security. The pandemic is compiling our losses.
I think a lot of us are stuck a cycle of grief. We may be continuing to intensely grieve the loss of a loved one who died while we also wrestle with these new losses. Loss of freedom. Loss of income. Loss of security. The pandemic is compiling our losses.
What’s ahead? What form will our lives – will our society – take this week? Next month? Next year? We’ve lost a lack of certainty.
Here are three Bible verses and principles that are guiding me as I wrestle with the pandemic season – and look forward to positive change as the Fall unfolds:
1. “Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.” ~ Ecclesiastes 11:4
I’ve waited for normal to return. For sickness to pass. For grief to lift. I am reminding myself now that I can “plant” in the midst of an adverse season. When I’ve done this before, my efforts were rewarded with successes.
What does planting look like? Phoning friends and connecting despite physical distance. Applying for the job. Creating new avenues of service and income. Stretching for our dreams and leaving the timing in God’s hands.
2. “Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert?” ~ Isaiah 43:19
I long for the past, the familiar, but God is always up to something new. He’s got a plan. We see obstacles. He sees opportunities. I’m not saying he wants us to forget what is behind us or ignore our grief, but our memories and the people in them can inspire our footfalls into the future.
What is God up to? I don’t know, but I do know while Satan wants to pull us down with everything that happens, God wants to lift us up in those very same circumstances. I am excited that God has something good ahead.
3. “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Forsake means “give up.” God literally is not going to give up on you. He also is not cheering from the sidelines. He is with us. As an omnipresent being, he also is going ahead of you. He is preparing the way.
I am not alone, and you are not alone. We face loss, frustration, uncertainty and fear with a loving, powerful God upholding us. He knows our past. He walks with us in the present. He is preparing the way for our future.
If this post resonates with you, drop a note in the comments section. I want to hear what Bible verses, inspirational quotes or perspectives help you through the seasons of life.
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