Finding a Rhythm

A cool breeze has been waking me up in the mornings, causing me to climb out of bed earlier than my alarm to shut off my window fan. Thick layers of fog seem to swallow up the city street outside as I turn to make my coffee and pour myself a bowl of cereal. And as I sit down, cross-legged on my carpeted floor, I think about how fall is finally moving in. Of course, students moved in weeks ago, mid- to late August. That's usually the first indicator. Often it feels as though life speeds up in the fall too; summer usually drifts, its characteristic long days blending into one another until you realize that the sunset really isn't at 9 pm anymore and you catch yourself grabbing a jacket before you head out the door. Life often picks up the pace, especially if you work in campus ministry. In my mind, students being back on campus translates to staff being back in the thick of it - meaning lots of questions, planning of trainings, weekend and weeklong trips, etc. 

Campus life picks up and that's good. That's normal. Yet if you know anything about me, sitting on the floor of my room eating breakfast and enjoying a cup of coffee is a pretty rare picture. In fact, I bought a box fan a few days before September began, mainly because I hadn't been in my room all summer. No, my evenings were typically spent under a thin sheet of nylon fabric, either reading or planning lessons or leading a discussion. Because for me, my summer is when life picks up and when I get to spend countless hours with students. Leadership development, discipleship, creating space for rest, giving direction to begin preparing for a new semester - this what my summer looks like. I stop looking at my calendar in days and begin looking at it in weeklong or multi-week segments, where backpacking and climbing trips are blocked out in various colors. And when fall comes, swinging in with new things? I just add in more colored blocks. 

But there's a slight difference for me that distinguishes the summer from the fall: the trips are shorter. Almost like the shortening of fall days. With the return to campus, the weekends become the main time to get away and even then, often only for a day instead of several. Which means time for me to develop new routines in life again. Like blogging, say, or sitting cross-legged on my floor enjoying breakfast. Or having a consistent time to read my Bible and think on God's goodness. Indeed, life has its rhythms and for me, the seasons have a direct impact on them. So would you pray for me as I try to settle into a new rhythm? Because sometimes settling into something has its ups and downs. And I will pray the same for you, that you would be in a rhythm that God has laid out for you.