Season of Rest

I absolutely love fall. I love the cooler weather, the leaves changing color and floating to the ground, the crackle of a campfire, and everything pumpkin-flavored.  

For some, this time of year also vibrates with many activities, from back-to-school to fall prep to Bible Studies starting back and fall sports. Those activities bring new chapters full of possibilities and new opportunities to make new friends, try something new, or maybe dive deeper into a Bible Study. 

For each person out there who loves fall, there is definitely someone out there clinging to the last few days of summer weather or those who are already counting down the days to Christmas. 

Just like the passing of each season into the next, we each inevitably find ourselves in various seasons of life. I myself am in a season of adjusting to being an empty nester, with a sophomore and senior in college, and I am focused on making some advances in my career through professional development. I find myself in a quieter season. Although not necessarily restful, it is somewhat peaceful.

In the last 20ish years, I have experienced many seasons where quiet and rest were just out of reach.  Each day felt like a race to the finish line or a fight to survive the busyness of life. My family has experienced job loss, crisis, church transitions, broken friendships, and the craziness of a busy life. During one of these last challenging seasons, I found comfort in taking a closer look at Psalms 23. Although the Bible mentions rest in multiple places, this chapter speaks most to my fears and anxieties. “The Lord is my Shepherd; I lack nothing. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside quiet water, he refreshes my soul.” - Psalm 23:1-2 (NIV)

Through these verses, God reminds me that he will provide rest.  He will provide time for soul refreshing, mind re-centering, peace, and contentment rest that refuels my energy, energizes my faith, and gives me the fortitude to keep going day in and day out. He provides rest to us, his children if we receive it and gives us the opportunity to reflect on the magnificent gifts we have been given with family, community, church, friendships, and even our jobs. Reflecting on all of life’s rich treasures helped me refocus my priorities and practice gratitude and contentment, both of which are a welcome break from striving and competing on a daily basis. God provides these seasons of rest and reflection because he has a personal relationship with each of us and cares for our well-being.   It is a time to be present with our family and friends and be content with all aspects of our life.

For many years, during seasons when life was calm, I would never truly rest but was always ready for the other shoe to drop.  I just knew another crisis was right around the corner or a soul-wrenching disappointment was waiting to happen.  Yes, there were times when that was the case, but I was squandering the calm, restful season of time, worrying about what was coming next instead of enjoying the quiet moment. It is no surprise that I found that none of my worrying fixed or prevented life’s troubles.  I found this to be true when my husband lost his job one summer out of the blue.  It was during an economic downturn, and we were a one-income family. I remember freaking out and being so tired of worrying. That is when I started to understand that although that situation seemed huge and disastrous at the time, it was really just a short period of our life. That summer, after many prayers, we chose to be intentional with our time with our children. Our kids were young, and we spent the summer playing board games and Wii and took afternoon swim breaks at the neighborhood pool. God was so gracious to my family that summer to give us that gift of togetherness. Now, as my kids are both away at college, I look back and treasure that time with them.  That was hands down, one of my favorite summers. Even though it was a difficult season of life, God provided a special time for our family.

Since then, each season of life has brought its own set of gifts and challenges. With each, I am learning new ways to to settle into the season that God has given me and use the time to be intentional with my family and friends. I am curious, what are some of the ways you find rest in challenging seasons? Let me know in the comments below.