Fall is my favorite time of year. The countdown to cranberry sauce in the shape of a tin can is on. The sharp, crisp mornings that are coming seem to suit me better than the dog days of summer.
The pace of the world feels like it settles in every autumn. Schedules get more predictable, and rhythms seem to rule our lives until the spontaneity of summer rolls back around.
Rhythms and patterns can be a blessing or a curse, and it’s all dependent on our intentionality toward them. We’ve all known the slow drudge of going through the motions: family, work, overcommitments. Next thing we know, we look up and we’ve been in a “rhythm” for months.
But the same pattern, cycle, and monotony that the enemy often uses to make us feel stuck in a rut is actually a very healthy, biblical model that has simply been stolen and abused by the world to make us feel hobbled.
I feel an invitation from the Lord to use the natural resetting, pattern-building, and consistency of fall to step closer to Him. The distinction between being stuck in a rut and being disciplined and consistent is a razor-thin edge, and one that’s often a simple matter of our awareness of His presence and intentionality.
I don’t mean to oversimplify here, but think of it this way: a season that looks like predictable events, meetings, commitments, and calendars may be the best opportunity of the year to build a new, consistent pattern with the Lord.
I’m reminded of the mountain towns I love so much. They have peak seasons: skiing in the winter and outdoor enthusiasts in the warmer months. But sandwiched right in between those each spring and fall is what they call shoulder season. The mountain bikers and bird watchers have left, but the snowboarders haven’t shown up yet. Conversely, maybe the spring break ski crowds are long gone, but it’s still a touch too frosty for the fly fishermen and backpackers.
That’s shoulder season, and it’s my favorite time to be there. It’s a peaceful respite between busyness.
Maybe this fall is a time for us to retake the shoulder seasons in our lives for the Kingdom.
As you think about your calendar, you may find shoulder seasons sprinkled throughout your week, maybe multiple small, peaceful intermissions every day. The point is not just to identify our leftover time and give it to the Lord, but to intentionally take a Kingdom look at our patterns and ask the Holy Spirit where we can build disciplined, consistent, quiet time with Him.
Little shoulder seasons add up.
I’ve known many mighty people of God whose prayer closet or secret place was a Suburban sitting outside of a PTO meeting, a turn row waiting for the grain cart to catch up, or the aloneness between being dropped off and the drive coming together.
A jam-packed fall may be nothing more than thousands of powerful, tiny shoulder seasons asking to be utilized in your life.
Nikki and I are so thankful for Barn Church and the people we get to walk alongside. Our prayer for the readers is that the Lord would show you what it might look like to be busy but not burdened, in a routine but not stuck, and disciplined but not rigid.
We believe He can and will. Just ask.
Jeremiah & Nikki
