Again we have come through a time of year that when it is passed, brings a sense of relief and rest. The deadlines of processing foods from the garden before spoilage sets in have been reached. The fresh garden vegetables are settled on the cellar shelves, or they are at rest in the deep freeze.
Now I can look forward to equally-pressing work that has been set aside while the canning and freezing demanded my attention. Jobs like patching blue jeans and knitting scarves for Christmas giving are inviting me to include them in my day.
In October, I stay alert to watch the weather. A clear day and night are of particular interest to me. One of my family’s traditional Christmas cookies can only be made on a clear day. This week, we had just such a day, so the first batch of that Christmas cookie is in the freezer waiting for its day of glory.
October is a special month for our family. In it we celebrate a lot of birthdays. The birthday list includes our daughter-in-law, one grandson, our son, our daughter, one granddaughter and me. My birthday has always been overshadowed by Halloween. As a child, my friends and I partied with much orange and black colors, pumpkins and costumes.
When I married, I learned about a greater significance to the holiday. It is called Reformation Day.
Historically, Reformation Day marks the day when Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses on the door of the church at Wittenburg in Germany.
Spiritually, it brought a new awareness of how freely God grants us mercy and forgiveness. For centuries, man thought he had to do some special works to earn his acceptance before God. In man’s self-sufficient attitude and rebellion against his Creator, he does not meet God’s standards. Yet because of God’s great love for mankind, He chose to send a Savior to bring man back to Himself. All that is necessary for man to gain his acceptance before God is to call on Him. As Psalm 86:5 states, “But Thou, O Lord, art good and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy to all them that call upon Thee.”
The deeper meaning of the day encourages me that the evil powers at work in our world are overcome by our Heavenly Father.
We have already celebrated our first three October birthdays. There are three more to go.
I am thankful for the Lord and His mercy, cherished people in my life, for the food in my cellar, and for time to patch my jeans. It has been a wonderful October.