3 Ways to Renew Your Heart and Home in Autumn

I’m grateful God gave us Autumn. As my kindred spirit, Anne, said, “I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.” — L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables.

Autumn gently guides us in renewal through savoring and surrender.

As we enjoy the beauty of this season, let’s notice the rich renewal in nature and consider how we can refresh our homes and hearts with the blessings of Autumn.

Step Into Nature and Bring the Outside In

There is something invigorating in the autumn air. Temperatures fall, and the crisp breeze whispers through the trees, beckoning me to step outside to feel and see the beauty of the season.

Enjoying God’s creation is one of the main ways God renews my soul. Our Creator gives us so many delights to enjoy in the Autumn months. Let’s notice the beauty around us.

Take a walk, hike a trail, and enjoy a picnic this fall. Carve time out of your family schedule to step into nature for an afternoon, evening, or weekend. Position your heart and body in the presence of the Creator, allowing his glorious creation to deepen your awe of him.

Then bring elements of nature into your home, not only for aesthetic appeal but also to remind you of the Creator. Gather a few mini pumpkins, acorns, and pinecones around a candle on a decorative tray. Combine various textures and colors as you bring the outside in.

“The Lord will indeed give what is good, and our land will yield its harvest.” Psalm 85:12 NIV

Savor and Share the Gifts of the Season

When I spot my Pumpkin Spice creamer at the grocery store, I do a little happy dance (sometimes right there in the dairy aisle). My favorite creamer flavor appears next to the half and half, signaling the arrival of fall (even when the temperatures still feel like summer). Fall food is my favorite. I love soups and stews, hot spice tea, and pumpkin bread.

One of my favorite fall traditions is making Apple Butter overnight in the slow cooker, then awaking to the sweet aroma the next morning. Our family toasts mini bagels and enjoys the warm spread before the kids head to school. I used to do this for the first day of school, but I’ve learned that I prefer making apple butter after the beginning of the school year craziness settles down a bit (and the temperature drops below 90 degrees). So now, sometime in September or October, the kids and I make apple butter, and they take a jar of the fall goodness with a little tag wrapped around it for their teachers.

We savor our breakfast, but we also share goodness with others. God gives us a bounty of fall foods and flavors to enjoy. When we savor and share the gifts of the season, God renews us and those who receive our thoughtfulness.

What is your favorite fall food? What do you enjoy cooking or baking? Go ahead and make an extra batch and share some with another. And if you’d like to try our Apple Butter, sign up here for access to my freebies library, where you’ll find the recipe and other goodies I’ve created for you.

In your home, enjoy the aroma of autumn by baking fall goodies and lighting candles that celebrate the scents of the season, such as pumpkin, cinnamon, apple, and spice.

“Remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” Acts 20:35 NIV

Practice the Art of Letting Go

Every year, my awe of God deepens as I watch the leaves let go. When the tree stands in her most glorious array, surrender begins. One by one, leaves loosen their grip and begin the descent of seasonal surrender.

Different timing.

Different colorations.

Different landings.

I’m thankful for the amazing visual of surrender God gives us every Autumn.

How do we apply the lesson of the leaves to our daily lives?

We practice letting go.

First, we have to know what we are holding onto. In my book, Renew: Invite the Designer to Refresh Your Heart, I devote one week to the practice of Evaluating Soul Clutter. We must take the time to see what is in our hearts before knowing what to do with it.

One way I do this is on my morning walks. I pray as I walk and name the things on my mind. Then, I bring them into the open with Jesus and talk with him about my soul clutter. Usually, this process enables me to see how tightly I’m gripping the situation. I recall truths from scripture, and my heart begins to rest in the knowledge that God controls the circumstance with a capability far beyond my own. This is a way I practice letting go.

“I entrust my spirit into Your hands. You have redeemed me, O Eternal, God of faithfulness and truth.” Psalm 31:5 VOICE

In our homes, evaluating our furnishings is a beneficial seasonal practice. The fall season brings gatherings indoors, and we want our dwellings to be comfortable, enjoyable, and restful. Choose one room and evaluate it. Ask these questions to practice the art of letting go:

What is this room’s main purpose?
Do my furnishings support or hinder the room’s purpose?
Are there any elements of this room I dislike? Why?
Where does clutter accumulate in here?
What would help contain and control the clutter?

I love the changing seasons and the lessons God gives us in the complex world of nature. God perpetuates the cycle of renewal in creation, a visual representation of the changes in our hearts as we are being renewed in knowledge, according to the image of our Creator (Colossians 3:10).

“God could have created a much different world for us. He could have chosen a solitary landscape, a fixed climate, a single season. He could have confined his creativity to only a few thousand species in the plant and animal kingdom. But he didn’t. Season after season, God guides his creation in transformation. And so it is in our hearts.”
— Excerpt from Renew: Invite the Designer to Refresh Your Heart (Info here).

May our gracious Creator renew your heart in new ways as you seek and savor the gifts of this season. And if you’d like to read a bit more about Autumn, faith, and renewal, here are some articles you might enjoy: