Overnight, pine straw has descended like falling snow. It gives a light tan tint to the green grass and makes a quiet crunch under my feet.  Autumn is here, and I find myself reassessing my plans and considering a reset.

Having revisited my list of things to do and goals to accomplish, I realize that some of them have been crossed off, but some have been re-prioritized because life happened and made them less important. Things have not always happened “in order,” but both the checked off items and the items left undone make sense to me in the great scheme of things. Given the unexpected challenges of the last six months, it is a miracle that some of these goals were realized at all. Proverbs 16:9 has never seemed so true to me.

“In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.”

Despite the changes and challenges, I am blogging today, just as I had hoped, but with a new attitude. Though my website and this blog took months longer than I had planned, they were anointed with love and support (thank you GB) and radically changed by challenges and victories along the way. All my carefully planned goals and events seem slightly ill-fitting now as I contemplate new things to share and new people to reach. The support and feedback from family members and sister girls sitting on the porch, walking by the pond, or chatting in meetups over lunch have been powerfully important in that change.

 

So, it’s time for a reset. And that’s a good thing. It’s a reset which honors the victories of the last six months and embraces the new lessons of walking by faith. Yes, some things have fallen away or at least become smaller, not unlike the lessening of the load of the trees as they slowly drop their leaves, but the signs of God at work are abundantly evident.

Hospital corridors are in the rearview mirror, physical therapy is a memory, and I am balancing unexpected responsibilities. Though there are still items left on my “daily” list of goals, miraculously, the list is actually shorter.  God made a way for the essential things, the true priorities, ensuring that all things happened in their “due” time.

French author Albert Camus dubbed autumn a “second spring when every leaf becomes a flower.” It’s not the typical take on things, but it is a sentiment I can feel now. So as the leaves once heavy on the trees turn brilliantly golden, burnt orange and majestically magenta, even as they slowly fall away, I know it is time to push the reset button.

Resets are natural and necessary. The autumn harvest, however big or small, makes room for new things to grow.  The changing colors and shedding of the leaves in autumn begin a series of slow and steady changes which will eventually call forth the leaves and flowers of spring.  Trees don’t die when leaves fall or winter comes; they recharge. And our lives are beautiful that way too.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 declares “there is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” If this resonates with you, if you’ve had endings, losses, even times of little progress, then I’m sharing this word of encouragement for you and me too. It is okay to do a reset.

I’m taking time to reassess where I am in the light of where I’ve been and where I’m going.  That panoramic view is game-changing.  And from that higher vantage point, I’m thanking God for every step of my journey and every lesson learned. My reset is not a setback; it’s just positioning me for the next leg of my journey.

Most importantly, I’m seeking God’s guidance for my next steps. I know that nothing ahead of me can take Him by surprise, and He has promised never to leave me.

So I’m pushing the reset button and moving forward, confident that God is at work in the process.