Autumn officially begins this year on September 22. When you think of celebrating autumn to you immediately think of reaching for the decorations? Stop! Let’s look at it in a new way (but I will let you have some decorations, okay?).
Remember I said that for each holiday to ask yourself:
- What one thing can I do to please God, glorify God, improve my relationship with God, or let God into my life more during this holiday (that will continue to be a blessing after the holiday is over)?
- What one thing can I do to serve one or more members of my household better during this holiday (that will continue to be a blessing after the holiday is over)?
- What one thing can I do to better my life during this holiday (that will continue to be a blessing after the holiday is over)?
These are just ideas ~ use them or do something else entirely!
~ Get with God ~
Autumn is a time of death, but it is also beautiful. There is beauty in death, at least some kinds of death.
“What shall we say then?
Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
God forbid.
How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
Know ye not, that so many of us as were
baptized into Jesus Christ
were baptized into his death?
Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death:
that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father,
even so we also should walk in newness of life”
(Romans 6:1-4).
This is the kind of death I mean when I say there is beauty in death. September 22 would be a great time to renew or revisit this concept!
Read or even begin memorizing a passage of scripture that deals with the seasons, like Eccl 3:1-8.
Sing a special song during your devotional time or throughout the day. “Great is Thy Faithfulness” deals with seasons. Part of it is also based on Lamentations chapter three. You could read Lament. 3:19-26 and select a portion to memorize so that it can continue to be a blessing after this day is over.
Ask God what you may tend to do during the fall season that is dishonoring to Him. Ask Him to reveal to you what to do about it and what to replace it with.
~ Serve Those Within Your Household~
Do something especially for this day during family worship time (using the ideas above). If you don’t want to do this or if you don’t normally have family worship, think of some ways that you can share things such as those above with your family (collectively or individually).
What types of food do you think of when you think of autumn? Maybe acorn squash? A hearty soup? Apple pie? Whatever you think of (and, especially, what means fall to your family), make something special and healthful for your family to eat on this day. Don’t stop there, though! Don’t bless your family only on holidays! This could be, perhaps, the beginning of serving a favorite fall dish once a week throughout the season, or making a special fall meal once every week (or at least every other week) during the fall, or trying a new fall recipe each week (if your family likes to try new things).
Serve your meals thoughtfully. If you don’t normally eat in your dining room, try it for a change. That’s what it’s there for. If you already do that, you could make a special fall-themed centerpiece (you could just use things you gather from outside) for dinner on the first day of autumn and then continue to have one at least once a week throughout fall. Just make it something simple and sweet.
Fall is a time for getting ready for winter (at least for those of us who truly experience winter!). If you normally neglect things you need to do for your family members to prepare for winter, don’t neglect them this year. Are you a husband whose wife needs help preparing a flower bed for winter? Be sweet and help her! Are you a mother whose teenage daughter no longer has a dress coat that fits or good cold weather clothing to wear? Bless her with the things she needs. Whoever you are, what can you do to help others with their fall projects or what fall jobs do they need you to complete? Get to work!
~ Better Your Life ~
Speaking of fall projects, maybe you should just do them because they need to be done! That could be the very thing you need to do to better your life!
Or get your own cold-weather wardrobe together. Or switch your family’s clothing from the summer season to the fall season on time for a change—with everything perfectly clean and stored properly. If it’s not time to do that where you live, make a commitment to do it later (put it on your calendar, if necessary).
Make your home smell like fall in a healthier way by switching to soy or bees’ wax candles with natural fragrances.
Do you have fall decorations? Are they simple and good? If not, clean them, repair them, cull them, store them, and use them (they’re not doing anybody any good hidden in the attic!).
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Please comment to share your ideas of what you are going to do/did to celebrate the beginning of Autumn. Or, if you have a blog, post there and add the link to your post and name below. Please ~ no Halloween related stuff! Please link back to this post (thank you).
~ Keep it simple. Make it good. ~
