I love September. It’s a month that is associated with change.
Schools are now in session, as evidenced by all the golden school buses on the roads. Emotional parents waved good-bye as their children left for the first day of school, especially for their first child.
Teens and ‘tweens entered high school, intermediate school or junior high. Colleges and universities welcomed students back and classes have begun.
Homes that were once full of family sights and sounds are now empty for most of the day. (Do I hear the sound of moms and dads cheering, for easier housekeeping?)
Homeowners everywhere are getting ready for the approaching fall weather. Cooler nights and increasingly shorter days are associated with September, as are bonfires, apple cider, pumpkin spice, cinnamon donuts, and autumn-scented candles.
September is also a month of change for parents who said "goodbye" to their youngest children as they began their college, university, professional or military careers. When these kids walked across the stage at graduation, their parents "graduated" with them into a new life season. They are now the parents of college- or career-oriented young adults, and many are beginning to experience the "empty nest".
Even though the process of watching children grow up is gradual, parents often wonder how these special years could have flown by so quickly. Grandparents of teens, ‘tweens and young adults often feel the same way.
I’ve reached the life season where people I know are planning their retirement. Some are sprinting towards the finish line of their careers with joy, while others are carefully trying to map out what life will look like after retirement. After a lifetime of working, raising a family, or caring for loved ones now gone, many can feel this type of life transition very deeply.
How we spend the next seasons of life, and the emotions and attitudes that follow, will largely depend on how we approach these life changes.
For many years now, one of my favorite prayers has been the famous Serenity Prayer: “Lord, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”
As life changes approach, we can choose to welcome them with new excitement, joyful anticipation, peaceful acceptance, or courageous action. On the other hand, we can choose to face life changes with denial, resistance, resentment, doubt or fear. Any of these choices will affect our lives going forward, for good or for bad.
“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8) is a powerful reminder that God is timeless, and that He holds eternity in his hands. We can always come to him openly, honestly and earnestly with whatever we are feeling, and whatever we are going through, any time of the day or night.
“My help comes from the Lord,
Maker of heaven and earth…
He who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, He who keeps Israel
Shall neither slumber nor sleep.
The Lord is your keeper…
The Lord shall preserve you from all evil;
He shall preserve your soul.
The Lord shall preserve your going out
and your coming in
From this time forth, and even forevermore.”
My prayer is that we will ask God to help us find the positive possibilities in whatever changes we face. He is available to help us to welcome change.
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