A Season for Changes

​For many people, Labor Day weekend marks a changing point in the year.   It’s end of the summer vacation period.    It’s a time when summer jobs are winding down.   Some farmers in the area have been mowing hay.   Crops have grown tall and full with the summer sun and rains.   Gardens are yielding their abundance of produce that gardeners looked forward to through months of work.
Most schools start their new year just before or right after this weekend.   For students it may mean having a new teacher this year and maybe some new students in your class.   For some students the new school year brings a change in schools with many new people to know. Teachers notice how last year’s students seem to have grown so much since they saw them at the start of last year.    Whatever happened in the previous year, we have an opportunity to make a new start.   We may discover that something which was difficult last year, is not a big problem anymore.
May this changing of the seasons be a time when we notice the changes that are happening in our spiritual lives.    For some it may be finding that prayers the for the health of a family member have been answered with a healthy birth or a recovery from illness.  Perhaps there is a new or deepened friendship that has grown in one’s life.   Some may discover that they are ready to forgive a great hurt that they suffered.   Some are beginning a new year without someone who was close to them a year ago and discovering other sources of support or inner strength.   May we notice where God has been present in our lives.   May we pay attention to where God may be drawing us forward in a new season.
 

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