A Prayer For Embracing New Beginnings After A Hard/Sad Autumn
Autumn was supposed to feel peaceful, God — full of warmth, reflection, and quiet transformation. It was meant to bring stillness to what was restless, to soften what had hardened through the summer. But instead, it feels heavy. It feels more like surrender than peace. More like closing doors than opening them. I’m still learning how to release what didn’t bloom. I’m still mourning the things I thought would last.
Winter is coming, God, and it feels like I’m standing in between who I was and who I’m becoming. I should be ready to let go, to trust the falling leaves as a promise of renewal, but I hesitate. I hold on. I want so badly to believe that letting go doesn’t mean losing, that endings can be gentle — but sometimes, even faith feels like a risk.
And yet, within all of that, there’s a quiet voice deep within me that reminds me it’s okay to change. It’s okay to lay things down. It’s okay to rest. It’s okay to trust that even decay is holy, that even in the emptying, there is purpose. That you are still here — steady, kind, constant.
So here I am, God, walking through this season of shedding. Walk with me as I do. Give me courage to release what no longer serves me. Give me strength to trust the silence, to find beauty in what’s fading, and to believe that you are still writing something beautiful beneath the surface.
Teach me to see the sacred in stillness, the meaning in endings. Remind me that autumn isn’t about loss, but transformation. That the falling leaves are not failures — they are faith, choosing to let go. Help me to carry that truth as the air cools, as the light softens, as I prepare for what’s next.
God, keep my heart tender in the turning. Keep it soft enough to notice your grace in every slow sunset, in every breath of cold air, in every quiet moment that teaches me how to trust again. Show me that even in the fading light, there is your love — constant, steady, everlasting.
Thank you for the courage to let go, and for the beauty that still lingers in what’s passing. Thank you for walking me through this autumn, and for reminding me that even now, you are making all things new.
Amen.
Rebecca Simon is the author of Finding God Every Day and Let Go, Trust God. She is the also the author of 111 Devotionals. Find them at your local bookstore, Amazon or Barnes & Noble.
