The first hint of fall brings thoughts of pumpkins, corn mazes, hayrides, and festivals. Menus add pumpkin spice and apple cider to their choices and long sleeves emerge from the closet. Bundles of firewood go on sale in front of grocery stores and pots of mums are the focus of every outside display. This last one gets me every year.

I see the mums and think about how pretty they are. Then I envision them hanging on my front porch or lining the front steps. For the first few weeks I remain controlled. Plants aren’t my thing. In fact, my thumb skipped brown altogether and turned black. Succulents scream at the thought of moving to my home. But for some reason, every fall, I buy my sacrificial mums.

The effort to keep them alive is real at first. I baby those plants and carefully manage their water intake and sun exposure. But then the new wears off. I move the mums out of eyeshot and forget to water them. Then I somehow stumble upon them months later—deader than a month old rat in a mousetrap.

This reminds me of how we treat our relationship with God. New seasons lead to excitement and fresh starts. We make a list and set out to fulfill new routines of prayer, time in the Bible, and deeper obedience. At first, we make tons of space. Everything goes great and we are so excited for the addition. But then we change a habit. Move a routine. And just as quickly as we shift our attention, our spiritual life begins to die.

This year, I took the plunge and bought six mums. Instead of setting them on the ground or moving them to a part of the yard I rarely visit, I repotted them into hanging baskets on my front porch and bought a large watering can. I visit my porch every day and there’s no way I can miss the beauty of the mums. When their leaves begin to droop, I take action. If one of the hanging baskets falls, I notice and pick it up. With the mums always in view, this will be the year that my mums get to live.

We must also strive to always keep Christ in view. Daily watering. Regular amounts of light. Maintenance and sustenance every day. This could be the year when we truly begin to live and thrive in our walk with Christ. What are we doing to keep Jesus in eyeshot daily during this season?