Autumn is Here
Next week, we will be celebrating our youngest child’s 15th birthday. We have four kids, and each birth was different in its own special way, each pregnancy a season of transition. Having children requires a couple to go through a season of transition. For us, it was one child, then two, then three and finally four. On the other end of this, we have said goodbye to the childhood of two of our children and now are getting ready to say goodbye to a third next January. I find these days that I am clinging more tightly to these last days as childhood father.
We officially entered the autumnal season over the weekend, pumpkin spice has been sneaking up on us for several weeks now, but finally, we are here. While Advent in the Christian church is traditionally a time of spiritual preparation for Christmas and the celebration of Christ’s birth, I have found autumn to be a similar season of expectation.
In a few short weeks, our earth on this side of the planet will lose its color, its animals will have settled in for their long rest and we will begin a season of quiet and incubation.
A Season of Preparation
When I was still pastoring in rural church settings, we often had a harvest festival of some sort. My favorite was at McKendree/Community United Methodist Charge in Ohio where we had a blessing of the tractors in the spring and a harvest fest in the fall. On this Sunday, farmers from our church would bring their tractors, harvesters and other farm equipment to the church for blessings (spring) and thanksgiving (fall). In the fall we would have homemade apple butter, bobbing for apples the old-fashioned way and other autumn themed foods and experiences. In these communities, autumn was a time for canning and preparing foods for the winter. It was often a time too where we would chop wood for the winter stoves.
Scriptural Directions for Transition
Perhaps the most notable season of transition and preparation in the bible is God’s call to Moses and subsequent transition from palace inhabitant to wandering prophet who would lead his people from destitution and squalor to the land of provision. Secondly noted for those who follow the New Testament, is Jesus’ call of the disciples.
I have preached many sermons on both stories, but I have never seriously looked at the preparation Moses and the disciples undertook. An often-seen trope throughout the scriptures is the hesitation the prophets had over their calling. Jonah ran away, Peter threw Jesus under the bus, the trickster motif is rife throughout the early part of Genesis.
Moving away from any type of interpretation, we can sit with these experiences and see that it is human nature to be uncomfortable with change and one can even develop a certain melancholy or even depression around change.
Let us begin to move away from an oft misinterpreted scripture verse that does not mean what we think it means and focus more on God’s providence in the changes of the different characters we read about. What we begin to see is that God is always there, every time. We always see a God of providence, of love. We also often see community supporting each other, a hallmark of the Jewish tradition and the religion of Jesus.
Spiritual Practices for Transition
Several practices come to mind that make up my spiritual prescription for adjusting to transition/change. Joy, hope and wonder are all practices that can assist us in soothing our anxieties around change.
Joy
As a practice, joy enhances our wellbeing. It counters sadness. When we engage in moments of joy, we can transform our emotional landscape, turning fear, doubt, and negativity into positivity, courage, and hope.
Joy is a practice of mindfulness. In my world as a mental health clinician, it can be hard to help clients find joy when they are suffering so much. I teach them to find little moments, laughing at small jokes or even reflecting on better times. When we experience joy, our entire being vibrates at a higher frequency, making it easier to navigate through changes and challenges with grace. You can begin to cultivate joy by taking time to enjoy the small moments of your day, a meal, a walk outside and immersing yourself in the sunshine and fresh air.
As a note, if you are experiencing a mental health concern like depression, you may need more than a little sunshine and laughter in your life. Cultivating joy for you can be found in the healing art of therapy.
Hope
Hope as a practice enhances our capacity for optimism and counters despair. By engaging in the practice of hope, we nurture emotional resilience. Hope gives us the strength to persevere. The author of Isaiah in the Old Testament offers “But those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint.” With God on our side, when we hold onto hope, we are more likely to view setbacks as temporary and surmountable.
As a practice of mindfulness, we need to not suppress but instead confront and face our feelings around hopelessness. When we do this, we begin to trust ourselves. Change is hard and not every day is better, but if we hold onto the goal in mind and persevere, little by little, change can occur. The days will get easier.
Wonder
Anxiety is a strange emotion. We all have it; often it is a great teacher. In my daily world though, anxiety often has gone awry and is making someone’s day or life miserable. Wonder as a practice enhances curiosity, we need to treat each opportunity as a place to grow. Wonder too has a unique way of grounding us in the present moment while opening our hearts and minds to the mysteries and marvels of life. In my practices with clients who are anxious, I am often asking them to tell me what their anxiety is teaching them.
As a practice of mindfulness, consider keeping a “wonder” journal, where you write down three wonders you observe each day, can help you maintain a sense of joy and appreciation, even amidst difficulties.
Transition
Change and transition can be difficult and sometimes lonely experiences. But like the explosion in colors, the comfort of autumnal flavors and renewed closeness of community after a hard season of work and play, we can find joy and comfort. There is also the excitement of transition. The long season of winter prepares us for the new season of spring, the expectancy of new bird song, new flowers and brighter days.
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