Reason #236

I have never really been a big fan of fall. Normally, my heart sinks a little when summer comes to an end because I love summer. Simple as that. I love the long days, the laid back tendencies adopted during the season, and most of all, wearing sundresses and sandals. So each year, as summer beings to wind down, and as the sun begins to set earlier and earlier, I mourn the end of one of my favorite seasons. Each season does come with things I enjoy. For example, I do enjoy cooler weather. I also enjoy watching the trees change color, and I love the holidays. But there’s just something special about summer.

One of my sweet friends texted me today to let me know that she was looking forward to going to the Corn Maze this fall. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Corn Maze, let me explain. Each fall, one of the local farmers creates a maze in his corn crop. Very impressive! Questions are placed throughout the maze that give you directions as you wander through the corn stalks. Each question has multiple answers so the answer you pick will determine which direction you go. You can wander around that maze for hours, and while it can be somewhat frustrating at times, it really is quite a bit of fun. It can wreck havoc on your allergies and shoes, but it’s worth the trip. And the best time to go wander through the corn stalks is at night when you can’t see a thing. The darkness presents a real challenge.

I agreed with my friend and told her I was looking forward to fall this year. I shared with her that I have determined this would be my “redemptive fall.” This season was going to make up for last year’s fall. She replied, “Amen…This fall is going to be full of the joy of the Lord. And laughter, too!” And as we had a “fun fall planning” conversation, my mind thought back to last year.

I went to the Corn Maze with my parents last year. My parents did a fabulous job of getting me out and about last fall. They kept me as distracted as possible. At the time, I didn’t appreciate it near as much, but now, I am so grateful they didn’t let me sit and wallow. Because, truth of the matter is, joy and laughter are really hard to find in the midst of tears and anxiety. So off to the Corn Maze we went. It was cold and dark outside. My mom whipped up a big thermos of hot chocolate and we bundled up in our warmest clothes. My dad, who would not normally be found romping around a corn crop, kindly agreed to go with us. Truthfully, I think he was worried we’d get lost without him. He had to keep an eye on his girls. We wandered around the Corn Maze for quite some time but finally made our way through. And although I slightly enjoyed the fun fall activity, I was really just trying to get through it. Trying to make the most of the time because I wanted the fall to be peppered with a few positive memories, if at all possible.

A few weeks later, I began to redecorate my house. I didn’t drag out a single seasonal decoration as my motivation was low. And truthfully, I didn’t care about much of anything at the time. I definitely didn’t care what my house looked like. Pumpkins, scarecrows and candy corn were the last thing on my mind. But there needed to be some changes and so I began pulling the backs off all of my picture frames and placing bible verses inside of them. A majority of my house decorations were photo frames, and I needed to be uplifted with truth everywhere I looked.

“Because the Sovereign Lord helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore, I have set my face like a stone, determined to do His will. And I know that I will not be put to shame.” – Isaiah 50:7

So I printed this verse on scrapbook paper and I placed it in the largest picture frame I had. Determination. Because that’s all I could control, that’s really all I could do. And so I was determined to move forward. I was determined that, some how, in the end, I was going to come through this a better person. A stronger, wiser person. My mind was made up. I was determined that this was not going to ruin my life. I was not going to allow the decisions of another defeat me. But, I must point out of the beginning of the verse. “Because the Sovereign Lord helps me…” And that, my friends, was the key to it all. Because He helped me. The Sovereign Lord - supreme, preeminent, indisputable, utmost - I had His help. And because of that, I could do it. And so I determined I would do His will. Whatever that looked like, whatever it was, I would do it. I would do what He asked me to do because I didn’t know what else to do. Completely broken, completely confused, completely dependent on Him to carry me through it, I was determined this wasn’t going to be the end of my story. This circumstance was not going to be wasted.

So the Corn Maze starts back up in a few short weeks. I’m going this year, and I am looking forward to it. In fact, I am so excited about this fall and winter that I can hardly wait for both seasons to get here. And, although I’ve already determined that this is going to be a redemptive season for me, I don’t think I’ll have to work all that hard to make it happen because redemption has been the name of the game for quite some time now. So I praise the Lord that He allows us to experience both dry seasons and wet seasons. And as we enter into the time of harvest, I can confidently say that, with a little determination and a lot of help from the Sovereign Lord, I’ve got a bumper crop this year.

#236 – Because a little determination and a lot of His help produces bumper crops.

“…The river of God has plenty of water; it provides a bountiful harvest of grain, for you have ordered it so. You drench the plowed ground with rain, melding the clods and leveling the ridges. You soften the earth with showers and bless its abundant crops. You crown the year with a bountiful harvest; even the hard pathways overflow with abundance. The grasslands of the wilderness become a lush pasture, and the hillsides blossom with joy…They all shout and sing for joy.” – Psalm 65:9-13