WHEN SEPTEMBER IS WONKY

Please hold my hand— this is the first September in TWENTY-ONE years that I haven’t been getting kids prepped for “back to school” and it’s definitely wonky. No Staples stationery run, no cool clothes and new shoes, no haircuts, and no photos on their way out the door on that first day. It’s the New September for me and it’s a new season. Thoroughly bizarre-o. What season are you in right now? A new, exciting era filled with possibilities— or a tough, trying time with no end in sight? I don’t know about you, but I need an anchor and a whole lot of grace to get me through each and every season…

I adore September, I really do. Even when I was homeschooling my three darlings, there was something about settling back into the rhythm of daily life after the flux of summer that filled me with utter joy. It also may have been the new stationery 🙂 But for me, this September marks something different: CHANGE. It seems that the past few years have been one massive tsunami of change in our family, but isn’t that exactly how it’s supposed to be? Seasons of life. Growing, shedding, renewing, resting.

I know I must soldier onward and upward into the next season, even if my knees are knocking and I’m hyperventilating slightly as I glance back at the kiddo memories stacking up behind me. Here’s the thing—I’m very much aware that I need a Cornerstone, a Compass if you will. I need a Constant to get my bearings. Under my own steam, I flounder.

“I love you, God— you make me strong.

God is bedrock under my feet, the castle in which I live, my rescuing knight.

My God—the high crag where I run for dear life,

hiding behind the boulders, safe in the granite hideout.” Psalm 18:1-2 (The Message)

I know some think that we use God as a “crutch”, as Someone we lean upon because we are hurt or weak. Well, hello—YES! I’m the first one with my hand I the air saying I can’t do this life-with-all-the-seasons in my own strength. I need help! Someone who will never fail me or let me down, who knows what’s coming at me in the next season and even the one after, who will lead and guide and comfort and encourage me every step of the way.

Psalm 62:2 says, “He’s solid rock under my feet, breathing room for my soul, An impregnable castle: I’m set for life.” (The Message)

Whether your September has got you running around like a headless chicken or wondering what on earth comes next, don’t you just long for some breathing room for your soul? I do. My “word” for this year is GRACE (you can read all about it HERE) , and when I saw the lovely Ruth Chou Simons had written a book called Gracelaced: Discovering Timeless Truths Through Seasons of the Heart, it was in my Amazon cart lickety-split.

Not only is it the most gorgeous book you will ever feast your eyes upon (that happens when the author is a skillful artist) but it’s also packed with beautiful encouragement for your heart and solid truths for your soul. It’s a devotional that reassures us “we don’t have to be blooming to be growing.” Oh yes, seasons…

You guys, PLUS THERE IS A GORGEOUS JOURNAL!

If you’re loving this as much as I did, these are my Amazon affiliate links (full disclosure here) which means I get a tiny commission while you pay the regular price:

So… your September season might be full of all the new for you— starting a course, a different job, a new location, embarking upon motherhood, sending littles to school or biggies to college, finding your nest suddenly empty. But whatever this September looks like for you, friend, know that there is One who sees you bewildered, overwhelmed, anxious, or rejoicing in it all. Know He is the constant among changing seasons. He is the Rock we cling to and He offers rest for our souls. Sounds good to me.