With the return of football, I eagerly await the cool, crisp evenings that many of the games will be played on. I start looking forward to the cooler weather and anticipate the changing colors of the leaves. Not that I want to rush through the end of the summer season, but I just look forward to this time of year. So many of the good things in my life have happened during these next few months historically.
My wife and I both celebrate birthdays in September, along with a granddaughter who will be six this year. I think back to my high school years and the expectations that I had for the new school year. The friends that I would get to see again after the long, hot summer. The nip in the air, for me, leads to a thankfulness that the hot and dry days cannot last forever.
There are lots of things to do this time of year that you just don't get in any other season. Bonfires and Corn Mazes. Hot Apple Cider and watching the pumpkins get huge. It seems to be the right time of year for gathering with friends and family. Most of the nuisance bugs have gone away and this makes it easier to stand being outdoors for longer periods of time.
Not everything that has transpired this time of year has been happiness, but this is the time of year that my wife and I first met. The old loves had died and God was producing in us at this changing season, sparks of new life. The leaves were beginning to change as we found a new friend in each other. We took long walks, talked about everything and somehow did not get bored with the conversations we had. Of course, there was pain to be worked through from our previous marriages. Thoughts to be processed, but together we recognized that these were not going to be memories that would define this new life that was opening right before our eyes. As we slowly and cautiously made our way to love and trust, we sensed His Healing and His Smile on us. Life can begin again to rise from the ashes of broken lives and busted loves.
This time of year produces another kind of bug, the travel bug. I grew up in Virginia on the eastern side of the Blue Ridge Parkway. This seemed to be the place to go to view the fall colors and to be able to clearly see the valleys below. There were deer that would walk right up to your car, like they had missed seeing you. There were, of course, trails to be walked and hiked and a couple of peaks that could be traversed in order to reach the summit. Upon reaching the tops of these hills, there was no view in the known world quite like it. Looking out for miles and miles, you could get the sense that those who were driving way down below were missing out on this view of God's Creation. It was in these moments of soaking in God's Majesty that I found myself in quiet awe. Miles away from everyday life, it could feel like time had stopped. These tranquil moments were few and far between but I have held on to them tightly as anchors to my faith. They point to the fact, that in the stillness, He is there. When I find myself wrestling with questions and oppositions, I am uneasy and unaware of His Peaceful Presence. But as I lay down the burdens and quandaries of this life, I find His Loving Arms cover me and offer solace like no other.
As I reflect on my life now, the miles behind me may be more than the miles left ahead. There are, of course, regrets and things that cannot be undone. Times when I did not fully realize my Savior's Love for me and I lived life my way in that state of unawareness. No matter the view; from down below looking up at the peaks that you expect to climb, or from above looking down at where you just were, there is a strength to be found from having the right perspective about the trials and difficulties of life. The God of the Second Chance, has offered Grace and Forgiveness to me and I try to live in the light of this sweet revelation. Knowing that I am His and He is mine, I can live fully alive and aware of His Loving Presence at all times. Whether in the valley or on the mountaintop.
How Marvelous, How Wonderful And my song shall ever be
How Marvelous, How Wonderful Is my Savior's Love for me
My wife and I both celebrate birthdays in September, along with a granddaughter who will be six this year. I think back to my high school years and the expectations that I had for the new school year. The friends that I would get to see again after the long, hot summer. The nip in the air, for me, leads to a thankfulness that the hot and dry days cannot last forever.
There are lots of things to do this time of year that you just don't get in any other season. Bonfires and Corn Mazes. Hot Apple Cider and watching the pumpkins get huge. It seems to be the right time of year for gathering with friends and family. Most of the nuisance bugs have gone away and this makes it easier to stand being outdoors for longer periods of time.
Not everything that has transpired this time of year has been happiness, but this is the time of year that my wife and I first met. The old loves had died and God was producing in us at this changing season, sparks of new life. The leaves were beginning to change as we found a new friend in each other. We took long walks, talked about everything and somehow did not get bored with the conversations we had. Of course, there was pain to be worked through from our previous marriages. Thoughts to be processed, but together we recognized that these were not going to be memories that would define this new life that was opening right before our eyes. As we slowly and cautiously made our way to love and trust, we sensed His Healing and His Smile on us. Life can begin again to rise from the ashes of broken lives and busted loves.
This time of year produces another kind of bug, the travel bug. I grew up in Virginia on the eastern side of the Blue Ridge Parkway. This seemed to be the place to go to view the fall colors and to be able to clearly see the valleys below. There were deer that would walk right up to your car, like they had missed seeing you. There were, of course, trails to be walked and hiked and a couple of peaks that could be traversed in order to reach the summit. Upon reaching the tops of these hills, there was no view in the known world quite like it. Looking out for miles and miles, you could get the sense that those who were driving way down below were missing out on this view of God's Creation. It was in these moments of soaking in God's Majesty that I found myself in quiet awe. Miles away from everyday life, it could feel like time had stopped. These tranquil moments were few and far between but I have held on to them tightly as anchors to my faith. They point to the fact, that in the stillness, He is there. When I find myself wrestling with questions and oppositions, I am uneasy and unaware of His Peaceful Presence. But as I lay down the burdens and quandaries of this life, I find His Loving Arms cover me and offer solace like no other.
As I reflect on my life now, the miles behind me may be more than the miles left ahead. There are, of course, regrets and things that cannot be undone. Times when I did not fully realize my Savior's Love for me and I lived life my way in that state of unawareness. No matter the view; from down below looking up at the peaks that you expect to climb, or from above looking down at where you just were, there is a strength to be found from having the right perspective about the trials and difficulties of life. The God of the Second Chance, has offered Grace and Forgiveness to me and I try to live in the light of this sweet revelation. Knowing that I am His and He is mine, I can live fully alive and aware of His Loving Presence at all times. Whether in the valley or on the mountaintop.
How Marvelous, How Wonderful And my song shall ever be
How Marvelous, How Wonderful Is my Savior's Love for me
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