Pumpkin spice latte
Adobe Stock Photo
This time of year reminds me of one of my favorite Robert Frost poems, “The Road Not Taken.” It begins, “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood.” While I’m sure the upcoming fall season evokes a similar image of a forest full of yellow trees in my imagination, I find this poem fitting since we are amidst seasons of change.
We undergo many changes in the fall. Our coffees change from mocha frappes to pumpkin-spiced lattes and our wardrobes change from flip-flops to flannels. Students move up a grade and it reminds us how much they (and we) have grown. Sometimes the little reminders of growing up or growing old can become overwhelming–old shirts from college that no longer fit; baby outfits that toddlers have outgrown; leftover socks left hiding when a young adult moves out. We wonder where the time has gone and if we have spent it well. We wonder if we have taken the right path.
Our worries aren’t the first worries someone has had about seasons of change. Even thousands of years ago people had that same worry! We can find some assurance in Ecclesiastes chapter 3 – for everything, there is a season. There is a season for preschool, a season for senior year, and a season to be the senior who gets a discount at Perkins. Our lives are constantly ebbing and flowing, ever-changing. But, each season of our lives is a reminder of the beauty in the present moment. We have the blessing of living in each of these moments! What a gift!!
Though seasons of change can be stressful, they remind us of our call to be faithful in everyday life. When you feel overwhelmed in this season of change, I invite you to consider the things you have experienced in that time – where did you see/hear/feel God?
Maybe you hear God in your child’s laugh or see God in the wag of your dog’s tail. Each of these little moments is a reminder that God has blessed us with the gift of life and charged us with making the lives of others better. And if you find yourself worrying whether you’ve made your mark, you aren’t alone there. But, as it says in Ephesians 3, this is the gift of God: that all people should eat, drink, and enjoy the results of their hard work. So, cook your favorite meal, pick up your favorite beverage (perhaps a pumpkin spice latte), and toast with me. To the work we have done, the work we have yet to do, and the blessing of being able to do it all with God!
The Rev. Alex Johnson is a pastor in the Iowa Annual Conference. This post is republished from "Abiding in Hope," a spiritual support project of the Iowa Annual Conference. Subscribe to Abiding in Hope