Hello, my dears!
October is here- bringing earlier sunsets, pumpkin spice everything at Starbucks, and welcome breaths of cool air scented with the first fallen leaves. It has also sort of pushed me into a kind of dreamy and reminiscing mood- if you didn’t already figure that out while reading that first sentence. XD The other day I was taking my usual afternoon walk with my doggo. There’s something about walking in the fall months that’s just so refreshing… in a cozy way? :P
Autumn signifies change- the weather changes from the stifling heat of August into cooling breezes and chilly nights. (sweater weather, yayyy!) New clothes, new aesthetics, new school year, new schedule. I don’t know about you, but the Stephens family’s calendar fills up quickly during the fall months. Lots of fun things, like cleaning the horse barn on foggy Saturday mornings, going on outings with friends, and scheming up the most epic Halloween costume (yes, I still dress up even if I don’t go trick-or-treating with my siblings, it’s the best part of the otherwise odd holiday XD). There have been some challenging things for me too, like starting a new job and suddenly having a bunch of extra schoolwork.
And I’m going to get honest and personal here- over the past few months I’ve been in this weird mental funk of not really being sure of my place in the world. My world has changed in the past month, six months, and year- not in a drastic, turn-my-life-upside-down kind of way, but it’s definitely noticeable. The select group of people I’ve counted as my close friends has shifted. My schedule and priorities have shifted. The way I view the world and myself has shifted. And with those changes, the types of things that keep me awake at night have changed, too. It’s scary to grow up! It’s scary to have so many big decisions and responsibilities thrust upon me.
It feels sometimes like I can never get myself out of this mental funk of feeling like a nobody, like time is just going to stand still forever. Other days, I can’t believe I’m already a sophomore and I have this sudden panicky feeling of having no idea what I’m meant to be doing with my life. Can anyone relate?
But as I was walking through the neighborhood that crisp, first-breath-of-fall day, a thought struck me: Whether we like it or not, the seasons change.
In the seasons of rest and blissful youth, we must not forget to look around us, savor these happy days, and put them to good use. What we do today is going to affect tomorrow, and tomorrow will be here before we know it. Don’t waste your teenage years in drama and irresponsibility, my friend. Making good choices now will hugely improve your life in one, five, ten, twenty years. Savor these years, but don’t waste them. Dreamy summer vacation days don’t last forever. This season will soon pass away.
In the seasons where we feel so stuck and confused and exhausted it’s getting harder to stay afloat, we must not forget to turn our eyes upon Jesus. He’s the comfort in the storm, the only One who will never let you down. He’s there in the happy days, and the heartbreaker days. And you know? This week, month, year, decade of heartbreak isn’t going to last forever. Hold tight to Jesus and He’ll carry you to safety. The stifling heat will soon give way to cooling breezes. This season will also pass away.
To wrap up this unusually short post, I’m going to leave you with a few verses I read recently about the supremacy of Jesus. They read like poetry, and they floored me when I read them for the first time. No matter what is going on in your life, no matter what the keyword of this season is, constantly reminding yourself of the God we serve will put your life into perspective and drastically change it for the better.
“Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right had of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.” -Hebrews 1:1-4 (ESV)
Have a lovely week, my dears, my ramble-readers!
-Alayna