On an early September morning, with the skies still deep in their slumber, a dear friend pulled into my driveway. I kissed my snoring husband on the forehead, tiptoed through the kitchen as I checked into my flight, and wheeled my suitcase outside. School was back in session, and I was heading to a writing conference. The fall air was thick with an early morning fog.
The mark of a good friend is someone who drives you to the airport. The mark of a best friend is someone who wakes up early and drives forty-five minutes of winding back roads to get you to the airport on time.
It was too early for conversation, so we were quiet during the drive, the two-lane road bending and shifting as the car carried us forward. Haze hung thick in the air, and the back roads seemed even quieter than usual. The far-stretching fields turned from green to gold. We could see only a slight stretch ahead of us.
The morning mist held a sense of mystery, inviting my mind to wander. Will my kids be okay while I’m gone? Is it selfish to travel for work? My unspoken anxieties hung in the autumn air as we traveled on the sleepy roads. I wanted to see further ahead, to know everything would be okay.
No matter how much we want to see what will be, we live surrounded by mystery.
We don’t know what tomorrow will bring — we are but a vapor, our lives a mist (see James 4:14).
I wonder what it would be like if followers of Christ were known for our willingness to embrace the mystery rather than claiming to always have clear and concise answers.
Because the truth is that a life of faith is mysterious.
We live in mystery, believing there is truth in a swirl of now and not yet.
Amid life’s unpredictability, the temptation to seek clear-cut answers is strong. Yet, we believe in a God who created galaxies and became an infant born in the dirt. We live in the tension of now and not yet, unable to fathom all the mysteries of life and God’s ways.
The apostle Paul reminds us that this Christian life is a profound mystery that exceeds our understanding (1 Timothy 3:16). We don’t have all the answers, but we believe in the mysterious truth that is clear enough. In the haze of the unknown, we trust that Christ will light our path just enough to keep moving forward.
Eventually, our drive through the dense fog ended. My friend pulled up to the departure line at the airport, and I opened the car door, the thick fog blanketing me.
I didn’t know what the future held, but at that moment, I knew that God held me.
As parents, we’re entrusted with nurturing and guiding our children while navigating our own wonderings about faith. Life’s demands often make it challenging to tend to our souls and our family’s flourishing.
We can embrace the fantastic, messy, holy mysteries of faith in every season.
This fall, consider taking some time to reflect:
- Why is there peace in knowing we can’t fathom the mysteries of God?
- Why do you think people (especially adults) have such a hard time saying, “I don’t know”?
- Have you ever shared your doubts and wonderings with God or with someone you trust? What happened?
- What can the fall season teach us about God’s mysteries?
Borrow this prayer:
O God of mystery, hear our prayer. Comfort us in our doubts. Give us peace when we don’t know what comes next. We know our lives are but a vapor, but we also know that in the mist, You are there.
Help us to live into the mystery of a life of faith. Let us embrace the beauty in the unknowing. Give our family the courage to admit what we do not know and faith to trust You with our questions.
In our wondering and in our wandering, we believe in what we cannot see. Amen.
May God lead you and your family into rhythms of grace this fall – and in all the seasons to come.
Adapted from Every Season Sacred by Kayla Craig. Copyright © 2023. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries. All rights reserved.
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Every Season Sacred: Reflections, Prayers, and Invitations to Nourish Your Soul and Nurture Your Family Throughout the Years by Kayla Craig is a weekly invitation for parents to ask big questions, embrace faithful rhythms, and experience God’s mysterious, loving presence together. Every week, Every Season Sacred includes:
- Honest & hopeful devotions for every season of the parenting journey
- Encouragement to parent with intention & imagination, presence & purpose
- Open-ended conversation questions & discussion prompts
- Thoughtful prayers to borrow throughout the year.
With tender curiosity and contemplative wisdom, Kayla blends thoughtful musings and practical resources to meet parents right where they are. Whether you’re parenting a toddler or a teen, this family resource is one to turn to all year long as you journey through fall, winter, spring, and summer. You might want to grab a few copies of this beautiful, nuanced hardcover book as gifts to have on hand!
Great news! Kayla is gifting her preorder bundle to (in)courage readers with no purchase required! Visit this exclusive page to get immediate access to 100 family conversation cards, a booklet of daily prayers, a curated fall playlist, and instant access to the book’s first chapters.
AND more great news… we’re giving away five copies of Every Season Sacred!
Just leave a comment about your favorite season or rhythm, and you’re entered to win*.
Tune in to the (in)courage podcast this weekend as Kayla Craig and Becky Keife have a vulnerable and delightful conversation about Every Season Sacred!
*Giveaway open to US addresses only and closes at 11:59 pm Central on 9/26/23.
Good morning and thank you for a chance to win this book. I love Fall, when the temperatures start to cool down and life seems to slow just a tiny bit. Whether it is the leaves changing colors or the desire to bake all of the fall goodies, it is a reflective, enjoyable season without a lot of the hustle and bustle of other seasons.
Hi, Judy. Thanks so much for reading! Fall is SUCH a reflective season, I agree.
Autumn 🙂 It is so beautiful …and a season of giving Thanks.
Thank You for today’s amazing & encouraging devotional!!
Learning to trust Him ..,in every season
In every season. Amen! I hope as we transition into fall, you get moments to exhale, Rachel.
The pleasure of know God has us for every season, triumph and heartache is such a blessing. He knows exactly what we need at tge right time, always!
It’s such a comfort to know that in the painful moments and in the beautiful ones, too, God is with us.
Spring when everything is fresh and new and green again is my favorite time of the year.
This book sounds like it would be a refreshing read.
Spring is so full of hope! 🙂 Thank you – I pray that Every Season Sacred is a resource throughout the year!
I really needed this today, my husband and I have so many things coming against us and I get impatient and want answers immediately and that puts a lot of stress on both of us.
Ronnie, that is so real. Praying you are able to have one minute to breathe and reset today as you navigate this hard season.
Fall with the anticipation of family gatherings, laughter and making memories. The celebration of Thanksgiving and the birth of our Savior.
That anticipation is so special! Thank you, Temre!
Fall is my favorite season. I also enjoy the cooler weather and fall foliage, but the thing I love best is watching my two sons do two of the things they do best… play soccer and play in the high school marching band. It is a very busy season for us, but one I get much enjoyment from seeing my kids do what they love. Thanks for the opportunity to try to win a free copy of Every Season Sacred!
I agree with you, Meghan! It’s so special to see our kids delight in their fall endeavors. (I’ll be heading to a soccer game tomorrow myself!) I hope a copy of Every Season Sacred makes its way to you. 🙂
Beautiful! <3
Thank you for reading, Amada!!
Beautiful perspective. Thank you for giving me this mystery of life to think about.
Sitting in the mystery with you, Susen. Thank you for reading this morning.
My favorite rhythm IS the changing of the seasons. After loving close to the equator for several years I learned to appreciate the shifting of weather and foliage and temperatures of my passport country. My tendency is to want to stay in the comfortable and familiar, but in temperate climates when every three months brings a new beauty I can’t help but delight in it. The seasons are making me learn to love change and to find the good in it.
Well said. I love transitioning too.
Oh, Shaina! I love this perspective. Thank you for your reflective spirit and for sharing the transitional wisdom we find in the seasons God has so creatively crafted!
I love God’s rythms. Every season teaches me something. I don’t know which to choose between summer and fall…Spring use to be my favorite, but in cities the snow melting makes it too stinky.
Spring can be so dirty and beautiful all at once! It feels like a lesson for me — a real both/and!
Thank you Kayla – this sounds like a beautiful book. How wonderful if we ALL would humble ourselves to be vulnerable enough to say “we don’t know the mysteries of God’. Sounds like a helpful, encouraging and hopeful book! God bless you! thanks for the CARDS!!! grateful!
Thank you, Tamara! I pray that Every Season Sacred will help us breathe in God’s mysterious, loving presence in our messy, wonderful lives. I’m grateful you like the cards – I hope you cultivate some thoughtful conversations with them! 🙂
Thank you for the opportunity to win this book. I enjoy the season of summer. The warmer weather, the longer days and the extra time to do whatever.
Thank you, Nadine. I love those slow, stretched-out days of summer, too.
Fall is my favorite season of rhythm with it’s cool mornings, glorious sunrises and equally beautiful sunsets. Preparing meals slowly and with intention and seeing God’s fingerprints as the season changes.
Yes! There is nothing like a fresh fall morning. I definitely write about this in Every Season Sacred. Thank you for reading, Audrey!
Despite summer being a place that can fill up with events and plans, that season actually provides me with more space to slow down. The warm weather demands me to be in it and my yard demands work and time. So with those things, I tend to be outside with the opportunity to meditate while weeding and raking and digging. I desire to cultivate more quiet space in other seasons too.
Yes! I relate to this, Stacie. There is just something about breathing in the fresh air of summer and feeling the sun on my face that helps me stay rooted and not get caught up in the never-ending pressures of our culture. There is something about just BEing, ya know?
I used to say spring was my favorite season but lately I would have to say it is fall.
Love that, Glynda! I think our favorite natural season shifts and changes with the season of life that we’re in, too!
Thank you Kayla. These prayers were just perfect for me today. Your words pulled me into a calmness. Slowed my reading down. Placed my mind, body and spirit right where I was and filled me. Thank you x0x0
Blessings \0/
Oh, Janet! I’m so honored to hear that – this is why I write and feel so passionately about creating Every Season Sacred. We all need those moments to exhale and reflect, even in the chaos of life. Grateful to hear something in these words invited you into a space where you could be still. Thank you for reading and sharing! 🙂
My favorite season is fall but I like all that happens in the winter- just not the weather ❤️
I get that! 🙂 January and February are difficult for me — it can feel so cold and isolating!
Fall is my very favorite! It is my birthday & the crispness allows for cozy evenings in!
YES! There is nothing like crisp fall air and snuggling up at home with a cozy candle. Love it, too!
I love Fall! The cooler weather, the activities, the warm drinks, the leaves. Excited to check out this resource.
Yes! The brilliance of trees as they morph from gold to orange to red. It feels so sacred! I hope “Every Season Sacred” might be a resource to you throughout the changing seasons!
I like fall as it is cooler than summer and seeing trees turn different colors. Another season in life with God that he helps me walk through. Oct is our anniversary of being married for 46 years with my husband who still loves and supports me. I like the story you wrote, Karen. I remember being in fog when I had to fly from another airport in Eugene instead of Portland, Oregon so I could be somewhere soon in USAF.
Kayla, not Karen. Sorry. :- (
🙂 No problem, Becky! Thank you for sharing — and 46 years! Wow! What a testament to your deep care and love for each other! Thank you so much for sharing a glimpse into your life.
Even though it isn’t really a popular opinion, I love winter the most. I love the slower pace, the relaxing at home, the time for rest.
There is something so quiet and beautiful about winter. I agree!
I love all session of the year fall as it known as Autumn where I live in Enniskillen Co.Fermanagh N.Ireland. Yes it is a beautiful time of year. You see the difference colours of all the leaves as they are on the tree and as they fall to the ground. Hear the sound of the leaves as you walk through them. So pretty they all are. God made them all. Like God made all the other seasons too. Summer and Winter as well. We see the lovely Summer Sun and flowers with all their pretty colours so many to thank God for. Yes the Summer can be hot with the sun in the Summer to. The winter time the snow so crips and clean and so white it so beautiful. Yes it can be cold time of year as well. But all are beautiful all these sessions in their own ways. That God has given us to enjoy and their beauty to. As we look our of windows at each of them each time they come round in there part of the year. We have so much to thank God for them. As in them we get different birds too as well. Even the rain that sometimes bring something after it which lovely to look at with it’s beautiful colours. When the sun shines and that is the beautiful rainbow. It always reminds me of Noah and the Ark with God promise to us that he wouldn’t flood the world again. Noah story is a beautiful one. How God saved Noah and his family plus the animals he did in the ark. Because Noah was righteous man who lived for God and did what was right in God eyes. Noah obeyed God and build an Ark for him his family Loved today reading Dawn Ferguson-Little xx keeping you all in prayer incourage
Thank you, Dawn, for these seasonal reflections. So much to reflect on and think about as we reflect not only on nature’s seasons but the seasons of our lives, too. God is with us in all of it!
Kayla,
A praise song says it this way. ‘You’ve got to welcome the wonder, wait for the answer, worship with your hands in the air….’. Embracing the mystery of faith is an ongoing process in my life. It doesn’t get any easier as I’m 68.
I believe that’s the way we’re supposed to live as believers. It’s harder some days than others.
Thank you for your vulnerability. It’s most refreshing Kayla.
Of course I would like to throw my hat in the ring for the book too.
Dee
Thank you for sharing your wisdom, Dee. Appreciate you sharing here. (And good luck on the giveaway!)
‘In the haze of the unknown, we trust that Christ will light our path just enough to keep moving forward.’ I live in the haze filled with doubt and fear of the unknown. This present season will pass and lead me into a new better season. Every day I am blessed.
May you feel the presence of God, even in the haze, Anne. Thank you for reading!
Definitely autumn! The beginning of the school year feels like a fresh start, and fall is also full of so many of our family’s favorite activities: the state fair, all our kids’ birthdays, bonfires, hiking…it just our very favorite!
Yes! I feel an exhale just reading these examples! 🙂
I love spring! After a long and cold winter, spring brings the hope of warmth, more sunlight, new growth, and Easter!
Autumn holds a special place and is my favorite season. I met my late husband in high school in this season and we became fast friends and an even faster couple. There are so many things in this life that I find myself questioning. But then I have to realize I’m not the Creator but rather the created.
Reading this excerpt from your book Mrs. Craig, made me feel like I was walking beside you and riding with you on this journey. Thank you for painting such a beautiful picture with your writings and providing some much needed encouragement for my weary soul.
Kayla,
Why is there peace in knowing we can’t fathom the mysteries of God? Because God gave us a peace that transcends all understanding. We know that no matter what life throws at us God will be there to help us through. We can have joy in knowing that in the end we win!! We will eventually get to Heaven, be with Jesus & see our loved ones again.
Why do you think people (especially adults) have such a hard time saying, “I don’t know”? Most feel like they have to have all the answers. If we don’t have them then we must be stupid.
Have you ever shared your doubts and wonderings with God or with someone you trust? What happened? Yes. My hubby prayed for me.
What can the fall season teach us about God’s mysteries? Just wait & see what He can & will do for you. He splashes color all over & makes leaves to fall. He cares for ALL animals as it gets cooler. Birds know to fly south where it is warm.
Blessings 🙂
I love the season of Advent with littles. There is so much joy and anticipation. They remember the traditions from years past and we get to make our own. Lighting the candles in the darkest of nights is such a reminder of the brighter days ahead as we are in a season of darkness and that we are never fully left alone in the darkness.
Spring is my favorite season, it symbolizes new beginnings rebirth. I love seeing the flowers bloom and the smell in the air. I have endured a difficult time in the beginning of this past Spring and it gave my hope that one door was closing and another was opening and to trust in God’s plan. Easter is also now my favorite holiday.