Beauty in the busy and the barren land

If I could describe this season in Athens, I would say it’s the prettiest and the busiest. The sweetest and the hardest. On this last leg of the semester you get to share sweet memories with your friends before you go back home for break. You finally aren‘t sweating through your shirt while walking to class, and the scenery you get to walk by is full of vibrant, colorful leaves. But this time may also be filled with endless to-do lists, nights where you have to stay in your room and study for hours, and days where you just can’t wait for the semester to be over. For me it's a range between the two, some days taking this season all in and others feeling so overwhelmed and tired. But also, maybe this "business" doesn't describe where you're at at all. Maybe the colder it gets outside, the more you want to stay in bed and your motivation starts slipping out from under you. This season is different for everyone, and that's okay. Whatever you're feeling is valid. God gave us feelings for a reason, and even Jesus wept during his time on earth. We live in a fallen world! But God still uses it for his glory, and his beauty is around for all of us to see. Yes, its easy to focus on ourselves and how we "feel in the moment", but God also reminds us that feelings aren't facts. Proverbs 26:28 says whoever trusts their mind is a fool. Brutal, but true. However, God promises in Philippians 4:7 that his peace will guard our minds and our hearts. His peace comes from knowing his truth, trusting him even when our emotions are telling us something else.

One piece of beauty I think we've all seen recently is the changing color of leaves. They just have been so perfect these past few days. It's made me think about how even though they're in the process of dying, they draw our attention to their beauty. Only God can create something beautiful out of a season where life is getting blown away in the wind. This reaffirms my belief that there's beauty in our lives even when there might not be new seeds planting everywhere. We can choose to look around at our barren land and get overtaken by feelings of stress or sadness, or we can find God's truth and God's beauty in our lives.

So, this is a reminder that God is still working in your life. If you're overwhelmed with school, God's working in your life. If getting out of bed is a win for the day, God's working in your life. However, you can only see this and truly know this if you're looking for his truth instead of sitting in your circumstances. I encourage you to open your Bible and read what HIs word says. Find a passage that you can go back to when you need the reminder that God's there. Romans 8 is a great chapter to go to, and you can even just pick a verse to memorize. For example, Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." This is such a good reminder, and really anything from the Bible will help you see the good in your life, because the good is that God is for you. There's so much beauty in your life that God wants to show you if you're willing to seek him out and let him.

Here's to the beauty all around us- to the vibrant trees and to you who God calls the light of the world.