Moving through Autumn

There’s vegetable and lentil soup simmering on the stove. Even though the days are still quite warm, I’m no longer feeling like salad for lunch. Before last year, I had never made a soup. Last winter, I made one every weekend for my lunches in the week ahead. I’m ready for that again, to follow the change of seasons and embrace the different qualities they bring.

I have some sewing projects I want to complete, and with the darker, cooler evenings, it feels like the right time to work on them. I have two cross-stitch patterns I want to finish this season, before starting anything else. In the mornings I have felt like reading more, as well. Part of it is the temperature slowly dropping, and wanting to stay in bed. Another part of it is being in a new space. There is a renewed sense of wanting to come back to those hobbies I love. Like coming out of hibernation, having a change of environment, a change of routine.

There’s also having the room in my mind to think of these things. My wardrobe, my books. What I own, the space around me. How to make it work for me rather than against me. The storage I have, the surfaces that are available, are different. I am working with a new configuration, a smaller home. What a joy it is to have this area around me, one where God is present.

I was speaking to my mum on the phone yesterday, and I commented that everywhere I have moved has been relatively smooth. Whenever I have known it was time to move, I have found somewhere to live quite quickly. Provisions from God. Of course, in the midst of changes there is a level of stress, but even bigger than that is the knowledge that God is in control and is not surprised by my circumstances. There is a greater plan, there is ultimate goodness that will come from what is happening. I have always had the feeling that He knows best… that He has a home waiting around the corner for me, and He knows the perfect time for me to move into it. Every home I have lived has contained blessings and difficulties, and everywhere He has shown me who He is.

It is easier to have quiet times these days. I was getting out of routine at my old house, and it’s something I wanted to prioritise in moving. Of course, getting back into a discipline takes effort and intention. But it is so necessary. I was thinking that there are other things I would like to do; get back into the habit of exercising, reading, writing. And then I felt God say to put the first thing first. If I’m not spending time with God every morning, if He is not first on my list, then why would I insist on writing every day, or exercising multiple times a week? First thing’s first. And already He has shown me so much, even in the last week, about Himself and what I believe and how I am to live my life. He is always waiting for us. How grateful I am for that.

At different points I feel the weight of responsibility. There are times when work is busier, when the calendar is more full. Appointments, obligations. But returning to a home that is cared for, one that is welcoming and ready for a cup of tea or a reading break; that will always be something worth tending to. Yes, the laundry piles up and there are more dishes to do. The fridge is emptied and meals need to be cooked. But that small obedience in doing what must be done; if I can honour Him here, in this place, if I can know His peace here… then I’m doing okay.

Sarah xx