God’s Beauty is all over October

By Pastor Jaime Rogers-Fairchild

I do believe October is my favorite month of the year, even though spring is my favorite season. God’s beauty hits all my senses I October as we are in the midst of nature’s change. The smell that lingers in the air signals that fall is here, crisp and cool on my cheeks as I breathe it in. The sight of the sun filtering through reds, oranges, and yellows turns even ordinary places into sanctuaries. The taste of the fall harvest simmering into soups and crockpot meals warms body and soul. The sounds of leaves crunching under deer hooves and squirrels chattering over their gathered acorns remind me that all creation is alive  with change and preparation. I watch it all happen in amazement. This routine pattern of change and release will soon lead to new and fresh beauty. What I love most is that October is when I find it easiest to sit and be with God.

Psalm 121 is a song of sitting with God, of looking up and remembering where our help comes from. As the horizon changes into fall, it teaches us to take notice and reminds us letting go leads to new life. The psalm teaches us that we never release anything into nothingness. We release into the hands of the One who made heaven and earth. The Lord is our keeper, the One who does not slumber but watches over our going out and coming in, from this time forth and forevermore.

When I breathe in the crisp October air, I remember:  God is near. When I see the colors, I remember:  God is my help. And when I hear the rustle of leaves and know the season is shifting again, I remember, God is my caretaker, in every change and in every season.