Seasons are temporary. The thought hit me this morning with a loudness I couldn’t ignore. While I for one am excitedly anticipating the weather fluctuation, there are things about the warmth of this current season that I miss when it’s gone. But no matter how badly we may want to stay in a season, the next season is patiently waiting for its turn to arrive with all the newness it will bring. While it still may be hot outside, fall is slowly tiptoeing into our spaces and attempting to provide structure to the looseness that summer is known for. School and sports are beating at the door and loudly proclaiming, “we’re back!” Alarm clocks are anxiously awaiting being utilized again. Barren calendars are begging to be filled.

Summer is savored because we get to do things “we don’t have the time” to do the rest of the year. There is typically less stress, more laughter, and more time spent outdoors and in community. The slowness of summer is no match for the fastness of fall. Yet, they don’t have to compete. In the coming months, we can be intentional about not filling up our calendars by saying “no” to some of the extras, so we can say “yes” to our families.

Personally, there is a comfort in knowing that seasons change. I think God knew in his design that the monotony of sameness would make us too lazy. Too familiar. Too complacent. We must get in the practice of shaking off the cobwebs of comfortability. We need the constant challenge of change to be reminded that God himself never changes. For the believer, when all the changes overwhelm us- we can find the refuge of relief in an unchanging, all-knowing, loving God. That is what my hope is for myself in this next season.