Happy September everyone!!
It seems a little silly to always be surprised when we find ourselves at the beginning of another new season… but for some reason, I still cannot believe it’s already September!? It feels like August just began!!
I suppose this feeling of surprise doesn’t come so much from the fact that the seasons are changing, but more so about how quickly they seem to change.
On the first day of grade 9 English, Mr. Collins told our class that if we thought the summer had gone by fast now, that we were never going to believe how much faster they would start to go by as we got older.
“I don’t know how, but the older I get, the faster time seems to pass.”
I have never forgotten Mr. Collins’ words – especially because year after year, season after season, they have proven to be so true!
Whether or not the changes we are experiencing personally align with the school year, just like Uncle Perry said, the beginning of September marks the beginning of a new season. As the days begin to shorten and the heat begins to die down, I can’t help feeling a little sad knowing that summer is ending…
Don’t get me wrong, autumn has plenty of beauty awaiting us all, and yet there’s this bittersweet-ness accompanying that transition.
The leaving behind of something and the anticipation of something new.
So as our teachers begin to prepare their classrooms and our students get in as much fun as they possibly can before it’s time to go back to school; as our families make all of their arrangements and make sure everything is in order for another school year, why don’t the rest of us also pause to consider what the beginning of another new season means for us?
Regardless of what the next few months may hold or how quickly the time has flown for us, let’s all remember one of the other things we can always be certain of: the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever!
Praise the Lord, all nations!
Extol him, all peoples!
For great is his steadfast love toward us,
and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever.
Praise the Lord!
Psalm 117:1-2
Not only can we depend on things changing and never staying stagnant, we can also depend on the love and faithfulness of God enduring forever.
God will never be unloving or suddenly betray us!! We have countless stories throughout the Scriptures that specifically recorded and took note of the ways God came through for his people… for the purpose of sharing these things with the generations to come! They shared their stories, over and over again so that the future generations would know that God is truly who he has declared himself to be. And now we get to be part of that telling and retelling.
Year after year, season after season God’s faithfulness is proven to be true!
Look back over the summer and remind yourself of the ways you have seen God’s love and faithfulness at work in your life! Do not allow yourself to forget.
Consider Psalm 102:12-22 as you prepare your heart for what is ahead… whether the next season holds great celebrations or great trials, may the praise coming from each of us never cease to echo the greatness of God’s faithfulness towards us.
“But you, Lord, sit enthroned forever;
your renown endures through all generations.
You will arise and have compassion on Zion,
for it is time to show favor to her;
the appointed time has come.
For her stones are dear to your servants;
her very dust moves them to pity.
The nations will fear the name of the Lord,
all the kings of the earth will revere your glory.
For the Lord will rebuild Zion
and appear in his glory.
He will respond to the prayer of the destitute;
he will not despise their plea.
Let this be written for a future generation,
that a people not yet created may praise the Lord:
“The Lord looked down from his sanctuary on high,
from heaven he viewed the earth,
to hear the groans of the prisoners
and release those condemned to death.”
So the name of the Lord will be declared in Zion
and his praise in Jerusalem
when the peoples and the kingdoms
assemble to worship the Lord.”