The Summer Fades and Here Comes Autumn

Well now – that was fast!  Once again I have been away from this for too long.  We officially only have another 23 or so days of summer.  School is in session and we are watching the number of hours of the light of day diminish.  I have a love/hate relationship with autumn.  I love the smell, the colors, the crisp air, the clothes, the fairs, the food and most of the other things that are great about autumn.  My body, heart and soul like the light.  My ability to enjoy autumn is often shadowed by the uninvited and unjustified grief that my heart feels every year at this time.  I have a permanent sadness that lives in me (aka Clinical Depression) but I don’t notice it as much as I do during this time of year. I, even though you may think it odd, feel uncomfortable being completely without it.  It’s all about balance though, right?  When the days are shorter and cooler, my heart gets heavier and heavier.  Perhaps that is why God made the season of autumn so glorious!  Perhaps when I start to intentionally look for my favorite things because I’m feeling blue, it’s not hard to find them.  No one ever said life is supposed to be perfect and it sure isn’t.  The beauty in this world certainly is greater than the unpleasant.  Sometimes during struggles it’s hard to see but it’s there. 
 
I want to focus on something I’ve noticed all along but lately it’s been on my mind a lot and I feel like I should write about it.  The people who are unhappy are often the people who are most critical of others.  I am not saying that I’m never critical but it takes a lot for me to think poorly of anyone individually.  I’m thinking about those people who size up other people, stranger or well acquainted, constantly and find everything they can that they don’t like about them.  Lots of times critical people talk about their judgment of others as though what they say is what everyone needs to see.   Sometimes those people can influence others to the point where it could cause problems for the one who has no idea they are being discussed.  That is certainly cause for concern but isn’t really the crux of my point.  What I’ve noticed most about that type of person is that they don’t much look inward, toward their own selves to see how imperfect they are.  If they do, they may likely feel badly and look away so they can push it all away and enjoy their critical nature.  Perhaps what I wish most is that they looked intently at themselves and accepted themselves with every imperfection.  Maybe then, accepting that all people are imperfect, and looking for the good instead of the bad might make life a happier place altogether for them.  One of my favorite sayings is, “Everyone has a story”.  I say that to myself when I’m being critical.  Yes people do things that I don’t agree with.  When I think about people who offend me, I try to think, “Everyone has a story”.    
 
I don’t really know why I wanted to write about this.  I like to be encouraging.  I know I am tired of people condemning others because of their beliefs. I am a Christian and I am under criticism all the time from both non Christian individuals and Christian individuals. One group criticizes me because I’m too judgmental or too irrational or too whatever - and the other because I’m too liberal, too accepting or too whatever.  Both sides usually know nothing about me even though some think they know everything.  If they took one moment to just talk to me, they’d find out they are probably mostly wrong about the things he or she assumed about me.  This is a situation that is applicable to most people. Another reason I might be writing this is that I am tired of seeing Donald Trump AND Hillary Clinton social media posts about what terrible people they are and what they did, said or thought.  I know it’s important to have information about them because we will have to vote for someone.  It is difficult to sift through the massive amounts of information out there that may or may not be true.  Maybe I'm writing because I don’t like the level of racism that exists that has been brought into the light.  I’ve seen it first hand and it’s an ugly thing.  I don’t know, maybe I want people to stop being so critical so they are better able to be loving – or at least not hateful.  Perhaps writing it will help someone else who is feeling the same way I’m feeling. Like I said, I'm not really sure why I feel such a strong need to put this out there.  I just do.  
 
What I do know is that I’m thankful that I have one place where I can go to find peace, contentment and a love that is beyond my understanding.  I am a Christian – not because I’m perfect but because I need His forgiveness and grace.  Jesus is my hiding place and my shield.  He is real, people.  He’s not a fairy tale and I am BAT CRAZY IN LOVE WITH JESUS!!  If you need rest, ask Christ to come into your heart.  If you’ve read this and you think I’m something you don’t like or want me to be, well, I will say no more.  Everyone has a story.