What Is Possible This Season?

This week brings us to the official beginning of autumn. Tomorrow, September 22nd, will be the first day of the fall season, and perhaps you’ve already felt the changes begin to blow into your life like a seasonal breeze—earlier sunsets, more temperate weather, weekend football games, and kids going back to school; maybe you’ve even found yourself breathing a sigh of relief as the humidity and frantic pace of the summer schedules break.

I love summer—the beach trips, outdoor family gatherings, and long days—but I find myself somewhat tired too, and ready for a change of pace. Sometimes the summer pace of life seems hectic and unsustainable; it also at times seems less conducive to goal setting and personal growth, as such ideas can get lost in the shuffle of simply “being” day-to-day.

Maybe you’ve had seasons of your healing journey that have felt that way, too, as if the days blended into one another without much intention or chronicle. Or looked at another way, as if the overarching goal of survival was achieved but at the end you were a little dizzy and ready for a transition to something new and perhaps more directed.

As we get ready to begin fall, let’s try to do it with intention and hope. What are some life rhythms that can be adjusted in healthy ways? What are some goals that can be worked on? What changes and measures of growth and personal achievement are possible by Thanksgiving, and then by Christmas and New Year’s?

The stresses, commitments and responsibilities of life can easily overwhelm us to the point where our focus is dulled and the emotional or spiritual depth of our days is compromised (and when we are working through withdrawal, burnout, or some other health challenge, such difficulties are only magnified). But with faith and intention we can take back the narrative and direction of our lives in order to build meaningful seasons, no matter the struggles.

To begin this week let’s try the following:

• Take deep breaths, welcoming into your lungs the autumn air that speaks of cleansing, refreshment and possibility.
• Consider a few healthy changes to schedules or self-care routines that might mesh well with the season (this could include earlier bedtimes or mornings, longer periods of journaling or reading to begin the day, more hikes outdoors, an adjusted diet, etc.).
• Think of a few personal development goals that you could incorporate into the season; these could include working on more positive self-talk, deeper journaling, more creative work, practicing an instrument or language, etc.
• Think of a couple of spiritual development goals that would add depth and understanding to your personal relationship with God over the next few months (this could include more prayer time, or a new type of prayer time; this could include reading pre-selected sections of Scripture or devotional books and journaling about their application to your life; or this could include spending more time in nature and while doing so reflecting upon what it tells you about God’s presence in your life).

Above all, let’s enter this season with faith. No matter the stresses and struggles that might have defined 2026 for you to this point, be hopeful that these upcoming months can and will bring you important measures of healing and growth, along with some meaningful experiences.

God bless the first days of autumn for you!

Michael