Autumn

Hello, readers! It’s been a while.

The last season of my life has been CRAZY, and the winds of autumn have been slowing my schedule down just enough to start writing again. I hope you’re each doing well, and would love to hear how the last 6 months have been treating you!

Autumn is usually a rough time of the year for me. As someone who adapts slowly, the intense shift from summer to the school year has always been a cruel awakening. I always seem to be stunned when a new season falls short of my expectations. This autumn, I’m doing some things differently to soften the blow of change:

1. Reading the Bible regularly. Notice I said regularly, and not daily. My husband and I were recently talking about how there’s so much pressure involved in having a daily “quiet time” that when we fail to read the allotted chapter or devotional in the morning, we feel guilty the rest of the day. Time with the Lord shouldn’t be a have-to, it’s a get-to. Just like a regular friendship, time with God doesn’t always look the same, and that’s ok. God doesn’t have expectations on how many Bible verses you read or memorize in a year, or how many minutes you spend writing in your prayer journal. I’ve been slowly but surely reading through the Song of Songs study from SheReadsTruth, and it’s blowing my mind. Love is so much bigger and deeper than we give credit for!
2. Fighting for slow mornings. There’s something so beautiful about a new day beginning. Since the summer ended, I’ve been trying to wake up early enough to make myself coffee in our new espresso machine, eat breakfast, and greet the day with Jesus. When I leave myself 20 minutes to get dressed and get to work, my whole day feels frenzied. Having slow, quiet mornings forces me to slow down and appreciate the little blessings God tucks into each day. Besides, that extra half hour of sleep doesn’t REALLY make a difference here or there.
3. Giving myself grace. Please tell me I’m not the only one who puts an insane amount of pressure on herself. This section deserves its own blog post, but I’ll try to summarize. I’ve made tiny tweaks this season to lift some of my self-imposed pressure, so I can walk in the freedom Christ died to give me. The easiest tweak seems really insignificant, but has set the tone for giving grace. Don’t laugh y’all, but I’ve worn lounge clothes to work almost every day for the last few weeks. I’m talking sweatpants and flannels. I can be pretty vain, (ouch, that hurts) and forcing myself to wear clothes that make me feel comfortable in my own skin has lifted the pressure to look perfect all the time. Focusing less on my appearance frees up the time and mental energy for journaling and reading scripture. By taking the pressure off of a small thing, I have more freedom to focus on the big things. There’s probably a small way that you can give yourself grace in this season- maybe you buy Lunchables for your kids twice a week, or maybe you delete social media apps from your phone on the weekend. Really and truly, this entire list has a theme of grace. We’re all so tightly-wound, trying to compete and stay afloat, but we worship the Prince of Peace! We have the luxury of reaching for peace whenever we need it. He leads us to quiet waters and green pastures, if we’re willing to be led.

“The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He refreshes my soul.”

Psalm 23:1-3a

“Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace.”

Romans 6:14

If you’d be interested in reading more on grace, reading your Bible, or sitting in stillness, let me know in the comment section below. Thanks for reading, and Happy Fall Y’all!