Flying Through September

*I wrote this thought in a newsletter for ministry leaders last fall, but I think it is still relevant today!

I can’t believe how quickly we’ve flown through September. As I was writing this email, I had to pause and do a bit of a check-in with my soul. My body is telling me that I’m tired (and that’s fair because it’s 10 pm!), but I can feel the effect in my soul that the busyness of fall creates.

This made me think of the white lines that we can see in the sky behind an airplane. Did you know those are called contrails (condensation trails)? They are formed when hot, humid exhaust from the jet engine mixes with the extremely cold air at high altitudes, causing water vapour to condense into tiny ice crystals. Busyness, without proper rest and sabbath, can act like the hot and humid exhaust clashing with the atmosphere of our inner selves, and can leave marks in our souls of weariness, apathy, diminished capacity, and impatience. The good news is that those observable but temporary contrails can be cleared up with some intentional soul care and sabbath rest.

Psalm 51:10 directs us to find our renewal in God alone, “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” Where are you sensing the effects of this season on your heart (soul) and spirit: in your mood, energy, attitude, and capacity? In what ways is Jesus inviting you to rest and be restored in him? Receive from Jesus his sustaining presence and restoration of salvific joy and a willing spirit (verse 12).