First Baptist Church of Herndon

A Seasonal Thing

Linda Soller | Oct 01, 2018

Fall arrived with cool air and a steady rain. It seemed appropriate for the first day of autumn to be chilly and grey. I didn’t mind at all, staying indoors, knitting, and drinking hot tea. Just a week before I would have been complaining about the very same weather conditions. It’s must be a seasonal thing. Fall is my favorite season. I love getting to wear layers without having to add my puffy coat, but I don’t like the pace. In summer life seems to slow, traffic thins, and the days are long. But once autumn has officially arrived it’s as though someone pushed the crazy busy button. We race through the various holidays, find ourselves weeks behind in our Christmas shopping, and start thinking of purchasing shovels for the winter snows. Then we look back and ask what happened to Fall?

Just as the earth has its seasons so do our lives. When I was a kid we pretty much had a treeless yard. When my children were growing up we always had trees around the house. Leaves went from some fanciful playground I had seen on TV to one more chore. I forgot about how much I had wanted leaves as a child and focused on how much I hate leaves as a grown up. I think it’s a seasonal thing.

Sometime churches worry as their congregations begin to age. Yes, those senior members have a strong and steadfast faith, but what happens when they are gone. When those same adults were children did they wonder how their “old” Sunday school teachers knew so much? Did they feel safe and secure in church? Safe enough to take a quick nap on the church pew. I know they did. I know I did. Churches are a work in progress, much like any other family their generations come, evolve, and move on. A path is made for the young, not because the young are more important, but because they are valued. One day they will be the older members, reliable, loving, dedicated and faithful. You see, it’s a seasonal thing.

Have a great week!  :o) Linda