October is probably my favorite month of the year. Like Anne from LM Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables declares, “I’m so glad to live in a world where there are Octobers!” I love the colors that emerge on the trees during the month. The beauty of the world around me invites me to venture into nature to notice, to pause, to breathe. One of my dear professors and mentors, Dr. Richard Swanson posted recently that his insightful daughter, Meghan makes a distinction between Autumn and Fall. Meghan says, “Autumn is when the leaves on the trees find colors inside themselves that they did not know were there. Fall is when they fall and the bones of the trees re-emerge until Spring.” This made me reflect on the role of these “seasons” in our vocational journeys. Our journeys of discovering each day what God calls us to. The importance of having autumns where we can be invited to reflect inwardly a bit and maybe see what colors of ourselves are waiting to emerge.
In our Christian Leadership & Formation Programming, students are tasked with exploring a variety of spiritual practices. Practices that strive to create space in the midst of a busy Valpo life to listen for God’s voice. To reflect on who God created you to be and what God might be calling you to. Many find it challenging, especially at first, to find the time in the busyness. Some find space for this practice in the mornings, in the evenings, through a moment in a prayer chapel, or on a walk. Some take time to meditate, journal, or walk the labyrinth. Others talk about the gift of Morning Prayer that creates a pause in the moment of their day to connect with God. However, all that find the time to reflect and listen deeply for God’s voice share that they benefit greatly. They share of insights gained, of peace, and often clarity.
There are so many things in our world that speak into our understanding of our vocations. Some of it more noise than helpful. Now I am a strong believer that God made us to live in community with others and that community plays a huge role in our understanding of our callings. That meaningful conversations and reflecting on what God is doing in community or what our role in community might mean should play a role in our discernment. However, there are also times where the noise around us can make it hard to hear God’s voice and our own heart. I think this can be especially true in the fullness of university life. There are so many things that a person can be involved in, so many areas of study to explore, and family and friends that have opinions about what one “should do” or “should study”. Recently, I was talking with a student about feeling burnt out and the lack of sleep and time for unscheduled fun that was a part of their daily life. In sharing about the many things that filled up their days, they said they know that maybe they should cut something, but they are all “good” things, and they don’t want to disappoint anyone. I don’t think this student is a minority since this wasn’t the first time, and won’t be the last time, I’ve had this conversation with a student. Yet, to seek clarity in the midst of it all is hard to do without time to reflect and siphon through it all.
Ecclesiastes reminds us that these seasons and rhythms of our lives are part of God’s creation. In Ecclesiastes 3:1 & 6 it says, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: 6 A time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away.” As the season of autumn invites us into a time of reflection, a time of creating space to find our true colors to listen and reflect deeply it can also lead to a season of fall. The season where the trees let go. A season that invites us to gain courage and clarity to let go of some things. However, letting go isn’t always easy (even if you try doing it singing Elsa’s power ballad). We can be scared of missing out, letting someone down, or not meeting someone else’s or even our own expectations. Throughout my journey, there have been times where I let go of a title, position, or activity and was often filled with discomfort in the moment. This season of fall, as we have been reminded this week, is followed by winter.
As we let go and have a more skeletal structure of our daily lives, it can feel vulnerable. Sometimes after letting go I wonder if I gave up too much, if I made the right decision, and if I am honest, wonder what others will think of me. However, it often leads to more focus and energy in the clarity of what I am called to in that moment. How might the letting go help us grow into our vocations? After all, the decomposed, dying leaves that were let go by the trees fertilize the ground of the forest to bring nutrients that will feed the budding of spring.
I pray that as the final weeks of the semester grow busier, that each of you might be invited into space to breathe and listen for God’s call in your lives. May you find time to reflect and listen and gain clarity about your calling in this moment, in this space, in this season. We can trust that God who created the seasons is at work in all the seasons of our lives. If you find yourself in a winter season that feels isolating, dark, and unclear, may you breathe and trust that God is at work. God is a God that brings life out of death. God created the seasons, and God promises to abide with us in every season of our journey.
– Deaconess Kristin Lewis
Program Coordinator for Christian Leadership & Formation
Institute for Leadership and Service
