Seasonal Fulfillment

For many women across America, and anywhere else Starbucks franchises exist, today has been a momentous day:

The fall-exclusive, ever-coveted, Pumpkin Spice Latte (the PSL, if you will) was re-released for a limited time for the fall menu.

Is this a major holiday? No.

It probably isn’t even classified as a main event– but that doesn’t mean it can’t be exciting.

I promise I didn’t clickbait you all the way here just to talk about lattes from a spiced seasonal menu– there’s more to this.

As I typically do every few months– or weeks even– I start to feel super stagnant. Like I need a change, or just need to spice things up for a bit.

On a surface level, something like a brand new latte obsession has the potential to cure that ache for a hot second. And it does, without fail, ‘cure’ the fall / back to school scaries for many women like me.

But eventually, the novelty wears off, and the coffee runs out.

Then we’re right back where we started: looking for the next thing to change our lives for the time being, and make us feel a bit more fulfilled. 

Maybe the problem isn't that we need something new. Maybe it's that we're looking for fulfillment in things that were never meant to provide it.

(I’m gonna go ahead and add the disclaimer that I’m not putting the PSL on blast in a negative way; it’s merely just the lucky object that led me down this rabbit hole today. I promise you can enjoy whatever you want off the menu– guilt-free.)

Speaking from personal experience, I start feeling this way when I’m losing my grip and losing my focus on what I typically value the very most: my relationship with God and my studies in His word.

So it's probably no coincidence that this past week has brought an intense need for a little ~spice~ in my life, right as I've allowed my quiet time routines to slip into the back seat in favor of mindless doomscrolling and bed-rotting; because “I’m tired,” right?

I know I should follow my own advice, and pour myself some grace, but it’s hard when I notice my own self-destructive patterns this easily. 

I bring fulfillment into this because, though we all may be distracting ourselves with different things– coffee, doomscrolling, or any other little dopamine hits– we’re ultimately distracting ourselves from the same thing. Even if it appears in different fonts:

Sometimes we're neglecting our time with God because that time often leads to growth– and growth often leads to discomfort as we adjust into what He's placed us in.

We avoid this tooth and nail because, frankly, it hurts. When we grow in faithfulness, we often find ourselves facing new challenges according to His good and perfect will. Those challenges test that newfound faithfulness and forge us in the fire.

But the fire still burns.

It's much easier to hang onto familiar comforts and routines than to allow ourselves to expand into who He's calling us to be.

Sometimes it shows up in the way that we ignore the call back to God that’s been placed on our hearts because of our own doubts, grief, misunderstanding, or even spite.

I won’t pretend to not sympathize with this one. It’s hard. Everyone’s journey is different, and some are riddled with hardship that can make their walk to faithfulness one filled with wrong turns. 

It’s exhausting to rebuild faith after being wounded by things you can’t understand, and it often feels easier to walk away entirely. But walking away doesn't quiet the pull on your heart– it just leaves you walking in the wrong direction.

I say all of this so boldly because the ultimate truth is that God is the only thing that can truly fulfill us. So when we’re not seeking Him first, we waste our time seeking after things that are purely seasonal.

Maybe that's why we love things like the PSL so much. It's not wrong to enjoy the little things that make a season feel special. In fact, I think we're supposed to enjoy them– thank the Lord.

But a seasonal latte was never meant to carry the weight of our personal fulfillment.

Neither is a new job. Or a new hobby. Or a new routine. Or a new relationship. Or the next big thing we've convinced ourselves will finally make us feel different– like a new journal or lipgloss (guilty as charged). 

Those things are gifts to enjoy, not gods to pursue.

Many things in this life are limited-time only, but only God is eternal.

Until next week,

— E. Byers, author of The Grassy Laine