How God Uses the Fall Season to Teach Me About Letting Go
I love when the season transitions from summer to fall. There’s just something about it that breathes life back into my soul...not just my lungs! Although I dread the cold weather, I’m grateful to be present in this fall season (as short and sweet as it is here in ETX).
I’ve been getting my office work knocked out by lunchtime so I can spend time outside. I can usually be found on the front porch with Gwennie in my lap, occasionally working, but mostly sitting. It’s my favorite place to be.
This fall season is short and not lasting, and I don’t want to miss it. I love inhaling and exhaling the crisp, cool air. It’s almost as if I can physically feel God reviving my innermost being, preparing me for what’s to come.
When I reflect on my life, I am reminded of all the significant moments that took place during the fall—getting Gwennie, buying my house, marrying Daniel, making the decision to pursue real estate. I can envision these moments like it was yesterday. They all happened this time of year when my heart felt like it was on the verge of something new and unfamiliar, and they all required me to take a risk and leave what was familiar behind me.
Thus, it seems November naturally stirs in my heart an eagerness for something deeper and different. God is asking His creation to let go and trust Him with their transformation. I want to do the same!
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what I need to remove from my life—what’s been weighing me down and serving as a hurdle to me continuing to become the woman God created me to be.
In the fall, the leaves begin to change colors…some red, some orange, some yellow! They wiggle in the wind, hanging on by a thread, then eventually they trickle down to the ground, one by one. I watch the fog slowly make its way across the pasture in the morning, rising and falling with each new day. The deer are grazing again as if no time has passed. Every night, we can count on them to make their debut from the tree line. Every night, we count how many there are. We’ll never forget the night we counted 23!
I breathe in. I smile. I exhale.
I find myself reminded of the goodness that comes with new beginnings, new seasons of life, and a fresh start.
When I think about the leaves falling, I recognize, in me, the need for letting go of things I’ve held too tightly for longer than I needed to. I find myself very aware of what is no longer contributing towards the type of person I want to be.
Trees have to release their leaves and become bare in order to prepare for winter and make room for new growth in the spring.
In the same way, we have to let go and undergo a season of barrenness in order to create space for new growth.
There is work to be done in our hearts to get us to a different place, but we have to be open to that work.
This fall season, I feel God asking more of me. It’s tempting to ignore the ask, but if what I want most is to know Him deeper and to look more like Jesus, then I have to carefully examine what is not contributing to my own personal growth and the season to come.
While sitting with my Spiritual Director, she reminded me that God continues to redefine what love looks like in His economy of defining love. He redefines old words for us. That’s what fall feels like to me—it is the redefining of who I am…God’s way of continuing to reshape me for what’s to come so He can keep drawing me into a deeper relationship with Himself.
Breathing in the crisp, fall air helps me recognize the importance of letting go so God can continue transforming something new in me. What does it look like for me to step into this new season with a willingness to embrace whatever it is God has for me?
These are questions I’ve been asking myself:
What has been weighing me down lately?
What brings life to my soul?
Who encourages me to be a better version of myself? Who doesn’t?
What have I said yes to lately that’s not in line with where I want to be?
What boundaries need to be set to protect the person I long to become and to keep me heading in the right direction?
Not everything or everyone is meant to be a part of our regular rhythm long-term. God continually asks us to let go of what’s no longer serving us, and there is beauty on the other side if we will just trust the transformative work He is wanting to do in us!
God’s creation relinquishes control and trusts there is more beauty, a new kind of beauty, to behold through this transformation.
I want to do the same! I want to lean in and trust that the beauty ahead is worth what I’m leaving behind.
What do you need to let go of this fall season?