An October of Possibility

October brings vibrant colors, weather changes, and a harvest

Here in West Texas, the cooler temperatures take a while to stay. On the Caprock, we start our mornings around 50 degrees but we may still reach the 90s during the day. A dryer climate often means less dramatic color changes in the leaves. Harvest time causes many of us to spend the day with a tissue box close at hand.

In my personal life, over the last eleven years, Octobers also brought significant changes. In 2011, our then family of three moved across the ocean to Germany. Before we could move from temporary housing to the home we found for the next three years, I suffered a miscarriage. We were in a new place, far from family. We leaned on each other and God and quickly formed bonds with our new church family. The next year, almost exactly a year later, we welcomed our daughter into the world. She’s every bit as vibrant and the brightest fall colors. Right after she turned two, we returned to Texas. We spent several months in transition. Not long after settling in Plainview, TX, I met some women who forever changed my life. They became some of my closest friends, all because of a hair clip. On October 15, I will celebrate my seventh year with a company that God uses in our lives, through a hair clip!

Some years, I struggle with the bittersweetness of October memories for than others. HOWEVER, like Anne of Green Gables, I am so grateful for Octobers! 

Every challenge is an opportunity for change

God calls us to a life of transformation (Romans 12:1-2). The only constant is God. He is never-changing and always reliable (James 1:17). I hold on to His promises on a daily basis, as it often seems like we are in yet another time of transition. Whether from moves, job changes, or major life events, NOTHING stays the same. I’ve often said, “I don’t like change”, especially in my younger years. As I’ve grown up, I’ve learned that everything is in a constant state of change. We see this illustrated in rivers and oceans. As the water flows, as tides move in and out, no body of water is exactly the same from one particle of a moment to the next. To go through life without change is not LIVING!

We get to decide what kind of change we want in the midst of obstacles. Even in the struggle, stumbling blocks can be stepping stones to something so much better than we planned for ourselves. The pain of loss does not go away and the consequences of our actions still occur, but WE CAN DECIDE to turn problems into possibilities!