Letting the Old Fall: Making Way for the New Thing God Is Doing
By Desiree Taylor
As I shuffled through the house, working on the growing list I had sitting on the cluttered island in my kitchen, something outside caught my eye. I scooted over to the kitchen window trying to discover what I was noticing.
I sat at the window staring in expectation out at our backyard, when I saw a leaf falling off the tree. I watched the leaf leave the tree, slowly dancing down until it touched the grass. I settled there for a few minutes watching several more come down, pondering a prayer I had said to the Lord earlier.
“Show me what needs to fall off for this new season to be what You want it to be.” This is what I brought to Him, seeking clarity and answers.
FALLING INTO A NEW SEASON
My first book had just been published and marketing had begun. My youngest son and his wife had come home from living in Texas for a couple of years. My husband had just been ordained as an elder in the church. And there were speaking opportunities that were starting to come up for me, on top of having two widowed parents living in our home and next door.
God was slowly but surely revealing to me that I was entering a new season, one very different than ever before. He has been preparing my heart for this. I could feel it. The same way He prepares the animals I see scurrying around getting things ready for the winter season to come.
These leaves I saw falling represented things, people, and opportunities that I needed to let fall to the ground. He was showing me I need to release those to fully embrace and enjoy the new season and the new thing He is doing in and through me.
He was showing me I need to release to fully embrace and enjoy the new season and the new thing He is doing in and through me.
Why are we hesitant to release those things we have grown accustomed to, are comfortable with, or that we love?
Why don’t we just release without question instead of, “Are you sure, Lord?”
There is a fear that lingers, wondering if it is a final goodbye for some of those things. I hear God asking, “Do you trust me?”
LETTING GO OF FEAR
Is God whispering this question to you in your own life?
We often dread the reality that after the leaves fall, winter is coming. Winter often represents darkness and deadness, but maybe it is really a season of preparation for the new life to come in the spring.
As I sit on the patio with a hot cup of tea, bible and journal, I begin to write. God breathes His Words into my heart and I write them onto the page. I watch the leaves fall and I smile. The more I release, the more freedom comes. The more I let go, the more God pours out to me.
My heart becomes expectant for what He is working out. His perfect love casts out my fear of the future and the unknowns ahead. There is an excitement stirring in my heart for the winter preparation season because I know it will lead to the new life He is producing in me and through me.
I pray God helps you to release and let go of those things that need to fall off you in this season. I pray His perfect love casts out the fear that keeps you from releasing and letting go. I pray your trust in Him grows deeper and you allow Him to prepare you for the new life, the new thing He is doing in and through YOU!
About Desiree
Desiree is an author and speaker whose heart is full of LOVE for women in every situation and season, CONNECTING them to Jesus, the only one who brings life-changing transformation, and WALKING together with them on earth as they journey towards heaven.
She has been a wife to Duane for 28 years and a mom of two adult sons, Kyle and David. She enjoys sharing about marriage and the different stages of parenting, especially this adult parenting journey she is on now.
Desiree is committed to the body of Christ and fully involved and invested in them. Over the years, she has served as a Deacon with her husband, Duane, in youth ministry and is passionate about young adults. She loves to speak on the importance of mentorship and discipleship in the church and the need for support for those in leadership. She serves faithfully in the Women’s Ministry at church. She has spoken at several Women’s Ministry events and as a seminar speaker at Women’s Retreats at Camp Berea in Hebron, NH.
Desiree is a bilateral cochlear implant recipient and has the heart to share her hearing loss journey with others through writing and speaking. Her experience has given her a compassionate heart towards those with physical and mental struggles, and she loves to share those stories on her website.
Find Desiree on her website where you can sign up for her weekly blog and monthly newsletter. Also connect with her on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Pinterest.
Desiree has written her first book, Created to Relate: Living Beyond Religion, which is available in print and eBook. Audiobook will be coming soon.