Fall Leaves

Fall Leaves

“To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven:” (Ecclesiastes 3:1 NKJV)

This past weekend my family and I drove down to visit my mom and grandmother. Our visit wasn’t long, but God took the opportunity to speak to me on the drive down. While driving I noticed the leaves have started changing colors and I saw an abandoned house crumbling to the ground that I hadn’t seen before. As I was noticing all these things it hit me that like the trees we have a reason for the seasons in our lives. There are many times we don’t realize we are in a season until we are in the middle or out of it. Could this be because we are so focused on what’s ahead that we don’t notice the changes of today? Not every change is monumental, but the small choices of today will add up to a big change one day.

We all know that the seasons of nature can parallel the seasons of our lives. I had an epiphany about fall and its purpose. The leaves on the trees change colors because the tree is preparing to support new growth. The trees have gone through a lot in a year and they need to let go of some old things (leaves) to support the new things. To those of us who get to enjoy the seasonal changes we don’t always think of the changes of a tree as a growing process. We tend to not pay attention to the buds on the tree, but we notice the flowers when they have bloomed. We see the blast of fall colors but seldom notice the beginning of the leaves changing colors. Why, because we are so wrapped up in our lives we fail to see the small changes. Sound familiar?

While each season is important to the trees’ growth as is each season in our lives, could it be that fall is the most important? Fall, to me, represents the change that has taken place in my life. It shows how God has used a year to mold me into the person he wants me to become. When I notice my changes, then and only then can I appreciate the beauty of what was and what will be. As we change, we let go of things that hurt us, or are keeping us from what God has planned. We realize some things, these things can be past hurts, scars, a treasure, a light at the end of the tunnel that were hidden from us in other seasons. The beauty of this is we can now grow. God is allowing us to let go of these things so we can grow. Like a tree, a healthy Christian is constantly growing. We don’t always notice that we are growing, and that is why fall is so important. We slow down a bit and notice the changes around us and hopefully within us. The season we are in will change and yes, there will be dry seasons, but at the end of that season is always a blessed season. The seasons of our lives are meant to help us become who we are meant to be in God. Fall leads to winter which leads to spring, then to summer and the cycle continues. So, will your life, friends will come and go, people will be born and die, you will have happy and sad moments, through it all God is with you, shaping you. Stay close to him and celebrate the season you are in. Take time today to think about what season you are in and what season you were just in. Give thanks to God for being with you today and yesterday and for going ahead of you to lead the way. Blessings to you and yours this beautiful fall day. Until next time, “May Yahweh bless you and protect you” Numbers 6:24