Comfort Zone

Fall is so comfortable isn’t it? Comfy fires, comfy clothes, comfy food and snuggling with comfy blankets. There’s so much to enjoy that hopefully you have paused and inhaled a deep breath soaking in the smells, sounds, and changing of seasons. And if you live in our neck of the woods I hope you savored every second of Fall’s short splendor before waking up to snow this week.

And unlike most of the rest of the world we haven’t started dragging out Christmas decor! I like to hang on to fall as long as possible. The house is still full of pumpkins, leaves, autumn scents and harvest richness.

The last few months back on the homestead full time has really allowed me to focus on slowly things down, appreciating the gift of letting the weather and seasons be the timetable. When the sun is shining we are outside working, still prepping for the upcoming months and enjoying every morsel of Fall’s glow. And on colder days, the animals are setting up shop in the barn and staking out new sleeping arrangements while we are inside basking in the warmth of the wood stove, filling our bellies with the abundance of bounties gathered this past year and practicing a few new skills.

The longing to find myself again after leaving Babylon has been a journey of incredible highs and other moments of frustrating lows. But the days filled with livestock chores, feeding the flocks scrambled proteins in exchange for eggs and making homemade meals has been so fulfilling. Mundane housewife tasks of laundry, hauling up wood, washing dishes and cleaning have never felt better. Slowing down to enjoy cups of coffee, reading books, God’s gorgeous nature, visits from family, friends and neighbors, and a good Bible study daily have been deliciously perfect for healing my soul. The Farm is where my heart feels so comfortable.

This past week I resigned from my position at the Church effective the first of the year. It had become a job that was making me feel like just a body in a pew on Sundays. It was turning into shallow love. I felt heavy and weighted down from the responsibility of it. It’s hard to reach out to other’s with the love of Jesus when things become a burden. I want to follow God’s command to go, to leave the comfort zone and to follow His calling for my life. And to not worry about what other’s think I should or shouldn’t be doing.

I want to concentrate on simple, mundane things during the upcoming months while enjoying the slow down winter brings. Like master my bread making skills, rolling out homemade noodles with new friends, reading more books, start working on a different garden location and plan and play around with the notion of selling veggies and garden blessings in the near future.

But more importantly I want to start a women’s encouragement group. It’s an idea that has been stirring in my heart for over a year. I want to build a place where people are comfortable enough to share deep feelings, desires, beliefs and struggles. But in order to do that I needed to free myself of some weight in order to say yes to God regarding it all.

I still have no idea what the upcoming year is going to look like but I am trusting in my Creator to mold it all into His calling for my life. It may at times take me out of my comfort zone but I’m all in.

And just like the flowers still fighting for their last blooms on the porch despite the frigid temps and snow I believe He will help me to keep blooming and growing as I journey into this next season of life. I want to know in the time that He’s given me on earth I am using it as He sees fit. His love for me will never be shallow no matter what road I am traveling and in the end that’s the only real comfort I need.

 

“In The Time That You Gave Me”

In the time that you gave me, did I give all I could give
Did I love all I could love, did I live all I could live
Was my faith in your grace strong enough to save me
Did I do all I could do in the time that you gave me

In the time that you gave me did I face the devil down
Did I make him turn away every time I stood my ground
If today is the day you should decide to take me
Did I do all I could do in the time that you gave me

Oh and I’ll never know ’til it’s over
But I wanna fly on your shoulders
I Might have strayed from the path
I might have gone a little crazy
I like to think I did you proud in the time that you gave me

And as the hourglass empties, no it won’t even phase me
If I did all I could do in the time that you gave me