Crunchy Leaves + A Free Fall Printable!

You know that when you read my thoughts on here you're pretty much always going to get some sort of touchy-feely-inside-of-my-head-and-emotions kind of thing, and today is no different.  Lately, I've been feeling like my life has amounted to a lot of routine and going through the motions.  I've been trying too hard to be in control of certain situations and areas of my life that I have no business controlling.

I've been amazed lately at the beauty that surrounds me in the changing leaves.  Scott and I went on a run yesterday and I felt invigorated by the crunching of the leaves beneath my feet with each leap forward.  Scott mentioned that he felt like we were running faster than we normally do, and I thought he was probably right, and that it was probably because of the crisp fall air and the happiness I felt with being outside on such a beautiful day.  The sun was setting and I kept telling him to look at how beautiful the sky was, which reminded me of the breathtaking sky I had seen on my way home from work that morning, made to be even more dramatic and wonderful against the orange and red trees along the road.  

I realized that it all points me back to a God who painted all of this, who made these trees and this sky and these seasons.  And it reminds me to be thankful, to stand in awe at the beauty that is His creation.  So last night, after our run, I reflected on how much time I've spent thinking about myself lately, and how little time I've spent with Jesus and investing in other people around me.  I dug my Bible out of the bag that it's been sitting in for a few weeks now and I opened it to one of my favorite books, Ruth.  And I read about a beautiful woman who God redeemed despite very difficult life circumstances, and I reflected on how He does this with me every day when I ignore Him, don't spend time with Him, and live selfishly instead of selflessly.  The crunchy leaves and the crisp air were His call for me to come back, a reminder of all that is beautiful and created comes from Him.  

So today I'm focusing less on what Cristina wants and more on what Jesus wants.  And what He wants is for me to share His love and His gospel with other people, through my words and actions and love for other people.  I'm remembering this as I go to work this week and as I spend time with my husband at home.  And I'll remember that every time I want to complain at work about a difficult patient assignment or the fact that I'd rather be sleeping than working at 3AM; I'll remember that when I want to snap at Scott for putting the dishes in the sink instead of in the dishwasher, or when I want to lie on the couch watching Gilmore Girls for hours instead of keeping up with my She Reads Truth studies or reading from the Bible with Scott.  

Fall is a season that's sole purpose is to be beautiful, but maybe also to remind me to present thanksgiving for that beauty to the One who designed it to be that way.

Hope you all have a lovely week ahead of you-- I'm leaving you with a little present that I've been designing over the past few days.  I've never done this on the blog before, but here's a free Fall printable with some of my favorite colors and words for this season.

Love you all dearly!

Cristina 

"From the end of the earth I will cry to you, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I." -Psalm 61:2