• About
  • Books
  • One Word
    • One Word
    • Shop One Word Cards
  • Cousin Camp
  • Speaking
  • Audio
  • Blog
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
Susan Alexander Yates

Susan Alexander Yates

Wisdom for Every Season

  • Character
  • Faith
  • Family
  • Seasons
  • Marriage
  • Parenting
  • Cousin Camp
  • Ask Susan

Are You Overwhelmed With Fall Activities or Feeling Stale?

by Susan Alexander Yates

I feel both.

Yes, fall for me is way too overbooked. All the start-up stuff, all the expectations. Sometimes I want to run away and hide. At the same time, I can feel stale in my faith, in the daily routines. It’s as if I’m in a sailboat being tossed around by heavy winds and my rudder isn’t working.

I need a rudder.

Good news!

We have a rudder: it’s the word of God.

Each morning I ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to me one character trait of the Trinity to focus on that day. This morning the thought that came to me was,

“He is the God who does new things.”

“Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth. I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” (Isaiah 43:18-19)

Two things became clear.

First, I need to focus daily on who He is rather than on who I am or am not.

Second, I need the encouragement of His word–daily. Just the thought that I can expect Him to do a new thing in my life this fall was such an encouragement to me this morning!

Last year my book, One (Devotional), was released. It contains one word, one verse, and one thought for one hundred days. Learn more here.

Share19
Pin
Tweet
Email
Print
19Shares
Share
Share
Pin
Text

You may also enjoy...

One Word
October 3, 2017 · 2 Comments

« The Gift of Being Hidden in a World that Loves to be Noticed
When your faith gets fragile…. »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Comments

  1. Susan Yates says

    October 8, 2017 at 8:33 pm

    Thanks so much Joy! You are encouraging!
    Love, Susan

    Reply
  2. Joy says

    October 5, 2017 at 9:15 pm

    I ‘ve loved giving these beautiful sets as gifts. I’m glad you’ve created two new sets and note cards too, Susan! Thank you! I’ll order them soon.

    Reply

Hello, I’m Susan.

Susan Alexander Yates

I’m a wife (of 50 years), mom to five children (including a set of twins), and grandmother to 21 (including a set of quadruplets!). My favorite time of the year is when all my kids and grandkids are together for a week of “cousins and family camp” in the foothills of the Shenandoah Mountains of Virginia.

Read more…

Recent Posts

  • How I Heard Nature Sing — and What It Taught Me About God
  • Help, I Can’t Do it All: 4 Faith Principles for Overwhelmed Moms
  • How to Discipline Your Kids — When You and Your Husband Disagree
  • 8 Things to Do When You Really Don’t Like Your Husband Very Much
  • 5 Things We Know for Sure, No Matter What

One Word

One Word: Sufficient

Featured Books

Risky Faith: Becoming Brave Enough to Trust the God Who Is Bigger Than Your World

Risky Faith: Becoming Brave Enough to Trust the God Who Is Bigger Than Your World
Buy This Book Online
Buy from Amazon
Buy from Amazon Kindle
Risky Faith: Becoming Brave Enough to Trust the God Who Is Bigger Than Your World
Buy now!

One Devotional: One Word, One Verse, One Thought for One Hundred Days

One Devotional: One Word, One Verse, One Thought for One Hundred Days
Buy This Book Online
Buy from Amazon
Buy from Amazon Kindle
One Devotional: One Word, One Verse, One Thought for One Hundred Days
Buy now!
  • Certainty In Christ
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
  • Media Kit
  • Privacy Policy
  • Site Index

Search

Risky Faith: Becoming Brave Enough to Trust the God Who Is Bigger Than Your World

Risky Faith: Becoming Brave Enough to Trust the God Who Is Bigger Than Your World
Buy This Book Online
Buy from Amazon
Buy from Amazon Kindle
Risky Faith: Becoming Brave Enough to Trust the God Who Is Bigger Than Your World
Buy now!

Popular

  • What Every Wife Needs: Two Simple Things to Tell…
  • 8 Things to Do When You Really Don’t Like Your…
  • You are the Parent, Not Your Child: How to Discipline

Hiking on the AT with Charley Dog. ❤ God's been Hiking on the AT with Charley Dog. ❤  God's been speaking to my heart through nature recently, and I'm blogging about that this week @rootandvinenews. Here's a short excerpt -- link in my bio to read the rest. I hope you can get out in nature this summer!⁣
⁣
Ever so slowly over the past decade God has been opening my eyes and touching my soul in ways I had not expected. For the past 40 years I’ve written books and blogs and spoken throughout the country on topics of parenting, marriage, and faith. These areas have been my primary focus. I still love to speak and write on these themes. ⁣
⁣
Yet more recently our heavenly Father has been awakening within my heart a deep desire to dwell in nature, to really look at His creation, to observe His beauty, to marvel at the things I learn about His creation from twisted roots, fragile flowers, craggy rocks, singing birds, crawly creatures and unusual quiet. Silence. We live in a noisy world, but we were also created for silence. I think of Jesus slipping away in the night to be alone in the hills enjoying the company of His heavenly Father in quiet. Oh, the sweet fragrance of simply being alone together.⁣
⁣
At least once a year we all sing “Joy to the World,” the beautiful Christmas hymn with the familiar refrain, “Let heaven and nature sing.” One winter day on a walk in the woods this hymn came to my mind. I began to think about these words as I looked around a snowy, bare path. Because the birds had flown south there was more silence than in the spring. Focusing on the quiet, I asked God to enable me to hear his voice. There wasn’t a lot to hear but as I concentrated, I heard bare branches squeaking as they rubbed against each other. Wind gusts magnified sounds of creaking and worn-out limbs fell to the ground, bumping against bare rocks with a resounding thud. ⁣
⁣
Read the rest -- link in bio, or go to susanalexanderyates.com/blog
I snapped this picture of a parent watching over h I snapped this picture of a parent watching over her flock! 

It reminds me of Psalm 121…God your Father is watching over you! At this very moment He is watching over you!
I need this reminder often! It can be easy to get I need this reminder often! It can be easy to get caught up in my to-do list: if I check things off I feel good about myself and if not, I don't.⁣
⁣
But my identity is not dependent on my accomplishments. God cares a whole lot more about who I am becoming than about what I'm checking off my list.⁣
⁣
This is just one small point from my blog this week: Help, I Can't Do It All: 4 Faith Principles for Overwhelmed Moms.⁣
⁣
I hope it encourages you! Link in bio or go to susanalexanderyates.com/blog⁣
⁣
PS: this photo is from one of my hiking trips out West. 💚
I loved Julius’s message on Mephibosheth. Here’s a clip! @thegospelcoalition #tgcw22
One of the special things about being at the TGCW2 One of the special things about being at the TGCW22 with over 8K present and more online is the women you meet and old friends you connect with from all walks of life! Here are a few special women. We just listens to a fabulous message from Courtney Doctor with new insights on David. Check it outline!#TGCW22 @thegospelcoalition
What a privilege to be on a panel “Motherhood an What a privilege to be on a panel “Motherhood and Marriage: Balancing Your Priorities” with Caroline Cobb,Trillia Newbell, and Ruth Chou Simons. They are so wise and so much fun! #TGCW22 @thegospelcoalition
We had 5 children in 7 years including a set of tw We had 5 children in 7 years including a set of twins. Not one of our kids was a sleeper. We did not sleep through the night on a regular basis for 10 years! Sleep deprivation stinks. 

When our twins (the last ones) were 6 weeks old we moved to a new state. I had no friends, no family nearby and no help. It was a hard, hard season.

Today all 5 of our kids are married and we have 21 grandchildren. I never imagined my life would turn out like this! (Swipe right to see our kids all grown up with their spouses, and then the whole big family -- a pic from a few years back.)

At different times over these years, I’ve felt like a failure, worried over a child, been frustrated with my husband, disappointed in my career, and wondered if anyone else felt like “this.” 

And I’ve realized again and again that I can’t do it all. No one can. 

Looking at Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook doesn’t help. Those people all look so perfect. 

And I’m not. 

What about you? 

Are you feeling defeated, lonely, “less than,” confused, anxious or hopeless? 

Let’s be honest. We can each feel these things no matter what season of life we are in. It’s easy to feel stuck. 

Where do we go for encouragement? How can we find perspective?

This week on the blog I'm sharing 4 Faith Principles for Overwhelmed Moms -- things that will help when you feel like saying, 'HELP! I can't do it all!'

Check it out! Link in bio. 

#christianwomen #christianfaith #christianwoman #bedeeplyrooted #womenintheword #shereadstruth #womenoftheword #belovedlife #womenoffaith #gritandvirtue #choosejoy #lampandlight #biblestudy #bibleteaching #biblicaltruth #christianwriter #christianwriters #christianlife  #pursuewhatislovely #christians #sheislight
One of the most fun things of TGCW22 is reuniting One of the most fun things of TGCW22 is reuniting with old friends and connecting new friends.#TGCW22 @thegospelcoalition
So much fun speaking on a panel on “Aging with G So much fun speaking on a panel on “Aging with Grace” with Karen Hodge and Susan Hunt.#tgcw22 @thegospelcoalition

Copyright © 2022 · Susan Alexander Yates · All Rights Reserved
Calligraphy by Jessica Blanchard · Paintings by Christen Yates
Blog and Ask Susan Photo by Natalie Puls Photography · Books Photo by Cambria Elizabeth

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.OkayPrivacy Policy