Seasons Change
A few weeks ago, I noticed the first orb spider of the year and it brought me joy! I immediately pointed it out to my youngest daughter, who wasn’t nearly as excited, and proclaimed “Fall is almost here!”
Granted, it was ridiculously hot so I don’t think she understood my enthusiasm.
I first noticed these spiders after we moved to South Carolina. I’d never seen one before, so I googled it. It’s actually a hard-back orbweaver, or gasteracantha. These spiders are small and have hard backs with points on them, and they weave the coolest webs. I’ve also realized I ONLY see them in the fall. Autumn in the South is different from anywhere else I’ve lived. It takes a lot longer for the temperatures to cool and the leaves to change, which was always my indication in the midwest. Fall is my favorite season, and this little spider gave me hope that cooler temps were just around the corner.
God created these amazing creatures and signs to indicate the passage of time. As I thought about From God Not Her’s theme for the fall, God reminded me that we, as Christians, also go through seasons. They may not always be marked by consistent indicators, but we should learn to recognize when things in our spiritual life begin to or need to shift.
Around the same time I saw this cute little spider, I entered a new phase of life. I returned to work for the first time in over a decade! What I didn’t account for was all the ways it would change my life. I have been set in a pretty comfortable routine for the past few years. Staying home provided me ample time to devote to reading Scripture, praying, and doing Bible studies. I also had plenty of time to clean, work out, grocery shop, run errands, and generally get things done. As I began to accept more jobs substitute teaching (because I really do enjoy it!), I saw how difficult it was to check the things off my spiritual list.
I tend to revert to legalism a lot. I for sure would’ve been a Pharisee back in the day. As Pharisees were members of an ancient Jewish sect, distinguished by strict observance of the traditional and written law. The Pharisees paid a great deal of attention to outward ordinances and actions that would make them appear righteous, but they were not as concerned with actually being righteous in their hearts. Like the Pharisees, I created my own list of rules around reading my bible. I love reading Scripture, which is good! We should get in God’s Word EVERY day. But I felt as though I could earn God’s love by completing the checklist I created. I fell in love with my list. Well, I soon found it impossible to check boxes off my list while also subbing and attending to life.
I had to shift. With the help of some insightful sermons and podcasts, I remembered Jesus has already done the work. God sees me through a Jesus lens; my works mean nothing to Him because there was only one Work that mattered! Jesus accomplished that on the Cross. I started to fall in love with Jesus again, and stopped referring to my list. I now find myself having more conversations with God throughout the day than I had before I started my job. I turn to Him when I’m happy, bored, frustrated, sad, confused. I put aside my Bible in a Year plan and subscribed to the app She Reads Truth, which will allow me to read Scripture at school when I have planning periods, or in carpool lines, or sitting at soccer practice.
I’m not sure what season you might be in. If things feel stagnant and hard, maybe you need a shift. Open your eyes and your heart to where God might be leading you in this season. It’s okay to shake things up! When Jesus becomes routine, we need to remember what this Christian life is all about: love Jesus, spread the Gospel. Fall in love with Him again! For real – not just “oh yes, I love Jesus” because that’s the Christian answer. But really, truly fall in love with Him again.
Blessings,
From God Not Her