This post also appeared on My Big Jesus! 

And just like that, Halloween has come and gone. The gorgeous leaves are mostly on the ground. The chill from the morning is lasting further through the day, which is shorter than ever. Already, stores have their Christmas things out, hoping to snag the earliest of shoppers. We are about to give the rest of fall a complete pass, hopping, skipping and jumping to the holidays. In fact, I was planning a New Year’s Eve party with some friends a day or two ago.

But before we go on, before we hang our wreaths, or even dress the Thanksgiving turkey, let’s pause.

  
Pause here, on the brink of what’s to come. Linger here, in the in between, and savor the anticipation of your plans and parties and presents. Treasure this time before it all starts. Prepare your heart for the busyness, joy, stress, and laughter. We’re sure to have all of those feelings and more.

Maybe this holiday will be the first without a loved one. Perhaps it’ll be your first holiday with a new love, or your child’s first time to really enjoy all that the holidays can offer. Whatever your situation will be this holiday, it’s not quite here yet. You’ve still a moment… just a moment to bask in the delicate juxtaposition of the anticipation and the calm, the already and the not yet. 

Isn’t that what it’s all about, friends? The already of the beauty of His creation, the sweet moments where we know He is near… and the not yet – the waiting for Him to call us home, for His glory to be revealed and our earthly selves to be redeemed. This sweet, sweet in between is our entire life, folks. We are calling to Him, begging for redemption and hope, asking to be changed and renewed. And He is answering, with love and wholeness, He is answering us every second of every day, until we go home to Him. 

In this season, I beg you to pause. Find Him in the moments of quiet, of already and not yet. Seek His face as you put away and bring out, as you tear down and build up. Ask Him to reveal Himself to you, and bring you closer to Him. He will, y’all. He will.