When cooler weather arrives during fall, it’s a wonderful time to enjoy the cozy comforts of fall practices that can help us feel more of God’s love. Fall traditions like walking in the woods, eating fresh apple pie, and gathering around a fire are fun. But these traditions can also inspire us to draw closer to God, who designed all the natural parts of the fall season that we enjoy. By prayerfully approaching these familiar fall activities, we can use them as opportunities to connect with God. Here are eight cozy fall traditions that can help draw us closer to God.
Savor warm drinks with friends and family: There’s something especially comforting about wrapping our hands around a warm mug of apple cider, hot chocolate, coffee, or tea on a chilly fall day. The warmth reminds us of the comfort we can find by connecting with God and the people we love. We can invite our friends and family to share warm drinks with us this fall whenever possible. We can enjoy good conversations and encourage each other as we sit and sip together. We often feel rushed and isolated in this stressful, fallen world. So, we must make time in our schedules to relax and be fully present with our friends and family. Jesus promises to be right there with us when we gather. He says in Matthew 18:20: “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” Our warm drinks can remind us of the warmth of God’s love that flows between us when we’re together in ways that honor God.
Bake and share comfort food: Our kitchens often become the coziest rooms when the weather gets cooler. The smell of an apple pie baking, soup simmering on the stove, or warm pumpkin bread makes the whole place feel like home. When we bake for someone, we can take simple ingredients like flour, sugar, and spices and turn them into something that makes people happy and nourished. This is an excellent picture of how God can use us to bring comfort and love to the world. Sharing a meal or baked snack is a simple but powerful way to show someone we see and love them. We can bring dinner to a family with a new baby, a loaf of bread to a grieving neighbor, or just a batch of cookies to a friend who could use encouragement. Psalm 34:8 encourages us to: “Taste and see that the LORD is good.” When we share delicious fall food and eat it with gratitude for how God has made it possible for us to enjoy it, it’s like we’re tasting God’s goodness. The Bible also says in 2 Corinthians 2:15 that our lives can be like a “pleasing aroma” to God. When our kitchens are filled with warm scents like cinnamon and nutmeg, that can remind us to spread the sweet scent of God’s love to everyone we meet.
Take wonder walks in nature: Isn’t walking outside on a fall day amazing? There’s so much to experience that can inspire us with awe when we do so – from fall leaves in bright colors of red, orange, and yellow to cool fall breezes that refresh us. Every natural detail shows how creative and loving God is. Psalm 65:8 says to God: “The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders; where morning dawns, where evening fades, you call forth songs of joy.” We can find wonder everywhere! So, we should take wonder walks as often as possible during the fall to maximize how much of God’s wonder we can discover and enjoy. Every awe-inspiring experience while walking can teach us something valuable that draws us closer to God. For example, the leaves that fall off trees can teach us the spiritual importance of letting go. We can walk in the woods and consider what “leaves” (like bad habits, worries, or past pain) we can let go of to make room for God to do something new in our lives.
Gather around a fire: People are always drawn to a fire, from enjoying a crackling bonfire outside with friends to sitting by the fireplace at home. It gives us physical warmth but is also a natural spot for sharing stories, laughing, or being quiet together. In the Bible, fire is often a symbol of God’s presence. God spoke to Moses from a burning bush that didn’t burn up and led the Israelites through the desert as a pillar of fire at night. When the Holy Spirit came to the believers, it looked like “tongues of fire.” Fire also brings light into the darkness. This connects perfectly to what Jesus said about himself in John 8:12: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” As we watch the flames, we can also think about how fire is used to purify things. To make metal pure, we must use fire to burn away all the impurities, leaving only what is strong and valuable. We can ask the Holy Spirit to burn away the sin, fear, and selfishness that get in our way, and shape us to be more like Jesus. So, the next time we’re enjoying a fire, we can let its warmth remind us of the comfort of being with people we love and God’s powerful light overcoming the darkness in our world.
Visit an apple orchard or pumpkin patch: Fall is the harvest season. A trip to a farm to pick our own apples or search for the perfect pumpkin is a wonderful way to connect with this season of abundance. When standing in a field full of pumpkins or walking by trees full of fruit, we see a successful physical harvest up close. This can help us understand the spiritual ideas of harvest, such as how God gives us a generous harvest of blessings, which inspires us to be grateful. Also, in John 4:35, Jesus talks about the fields being “ripe for harvest”, meaning that many people were ready to hear about God’s love. Think about what it takes for an apple to grow – such as planting a seed in healthy soil, getting the right amount of sunshine and rain, waiting patiently for the right timing, etc. God works patiently in our lives, wanting to grow good things in our hearts. The Bible describes this as the “fruit of the Spirit,” which is “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23). So, when we’re enjoying an apple orchard or a pumpkin patch, we can thank God for generously pouring blessings into our lives. Then, we can ask God to help grow that “fruit of the Spirit” in our lives. We can also pray for opportunities to share God’s goodness with others, so we can be part of the great spiritual harvest God invited us to join.
Create a cozy reading nook: With the days getting shorter and the evenings longer, fall is a great season to curl up with a good book. We can make this quiet, cozy tradition a way to draw closer to God. It’s helpful to designate a specific chair or corner of our home as a dedicated space for Bible reading and reflection. We can add a soft blanket, a good lamp, a journal, and a pen. By creating a cozy reading nook like this, we can consistently encourage ourselves to spend time in God’s Word. This space should help us relax, quiet our minds, and listen for God’s voice. While there, we can enjoy seeking God through what he reveals to us in the Bible. Psalm 119:105 says to God: “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” By setting aside time and space to immerse ourselves in the Bible, we allow God’s truth to enlighten us by guiding our decisions and bringing peace to our souls. A cozy reading nook can become one of the most important places in our homes, not just during fall but throughout the year.
Start a gratitude jar: Fall, which features the Thanksgiving holiday, is a natural season of gratitude. It's easy to be thankful for big blessings but miss the many small blessings God gives us. We can train ourselves to notice more of God’s blessings in our lives by starting a new tradition this fall of a family or personal gratitude jar to keep track of those blessings. All we need to do is find a jar, place it in a central location, and keep a small notepad and pen beside it. Each day, we can encourage everyone in our household to write down one specific thing they’re thankful for and place it in the jar. This simple practice helps us find and appreciate God’s goodness. It changes our focus from what we lack to the abundance of what we have. Some days, we might include notes about a big blessing, such as: “Thankful for a good report from the doctor.” On other days, our notes mention a small blessing: “Thankful for a shared laugh with a friend today.” By paying attention to the daily blessings we’ve overlooked before, we can discover more of the wonder of God’s work in our lives every day. In 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, the Bible encourages us to: “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” A gratitude jar is a powerful way to live out this command. Then, on Thanksgiving Day, we can empty the jar and read the notes out loud. That will help us celebrate God’s blessings in fresh ways together!
Prepare our homes for the colder months: As the weather gets colder, we have an instinct to prepare our homes for the coming winter. As we physically clean and organize our homes, we can pray for God to clean and organize our lives spiritually. For example, while decluttering a closet, we can ask God to help us declutter our hearts from bitterness or worry. Or, as we wash our windows, we can pray for a clearer spiritual vision to see others as God sees them. We can also pray over every area in our homes as we clean them. Our homes are the main places our family’s spiritual lives are nurtured. We can pray for God to deliver us all from evil and make our home a place of peace and love that’s a sanctuary from the harshness of this fallen world. We can welcome the Holy Spirit into our home and ask the Spirit to help our families thrive. As we prepare our homes for winter, we can prepare our hearts to be warm and welcoming places for God’s Spirit.
In conclusion, the physical beauty of the fall season lasts for a few months, and we should make the most of that time to enjoy it. But the spiritual lessons we can learn during this time can last far beyond fall. By building cozy fall traditions that help us seek God, we can draw closer to our wonderful Creator in ways that will bless us throughout the year!
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