When I think of fall, I immediately think of cozy.
Curling up on the couch watching a football game with a bowl of chili…settling into a good book with a cup of coffee or chai tea…yummy candles and warmers filling my house with sweet and spicy scents…going for a walk in the cool evening with my hand snugly fitting into my husband’s, all these things spell F-A-L-L in my corner of the world.
Deep down, beyond the cups of chai and cozy blankets, our souls long to be comforted, don’t they? That may look different for different people, but we all crave it. We go through seasons of intense toil which grow us, shape us, and prepare us for other challenges on down the road. It’s good and right and what God intended for sure.
But thankfully, God also promises his children seasons of rest and comfort.
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28
The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace. Psalm 29:11
Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed. Then they were glad that the waters were quiet, and he brought them to their desired haven. Psalm 107:28-30
As the sights and sounds of fall build and swirl around you like the rust colored leaves across a sidewalk, what are you seeking from the Lord? Are you in need of the comfort only he can provide, but you’re not even sure how to voice what you need? Trust me, you’re not hiding anything from him. He knows what’s really going on the back hallways and basements of your heart. Pour your heart out to him. Open those doors to the musty rooms and dank passageways. You won’t be left empty, for he is faithful to fill and comfort you.
On the flip side of that, could you be the extension of the Lord’s comfort to someone in your life right now? Sometimes a hug, an encouraging word, or watching someone’s kids is as soothing as lighting a pumpkin-scented candle. Listen to those around you and see who the Lord is leading you to comfort.
On a personal note, fall represents a season of harvest, though not in the ways of corn and wheat. Kurtis and I’s anniversary is in the fall, and our wedding is a symbol of harvest to me, a harvest of years of seeds planted and cultivated and then reaped.
We don’t always get to walk in seasons of harvest, do we though? The season we are currently in is definitely one of sowing, so our approaching anniversary provides a wonderful reminder that we don’t sow forever; a harvest must follow.
Are you in a season of harvesting or sowing? This fall, whatever season you find yourself in, rest in the Lord’s comfort and never stop looking for ways to comfort others. And take heart that the harvest must follow the planting.
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
Enjoy this post? Then you’ll enjoy the rest of the “Seasons” series!
