Autumn Leaves

Who doesn't love Autumn?

It's many people's favorite time of the year. The sweaty days of summer are over and the holidays are just around the corner. Kids dress up for Halloween and Harvest Parties, looking ever so adorable in their little costumes. Teenagers squeeze out the last bit of childhood fun as they trick or treat with the younger kids. Pumpkins are carved and painted. Scarecrows and mums decorate our homes. Football season is underway as local teams fight for victory on Friday nights and entire towns come together to cheer them on! There's so much to look forward to in the fall. 

• Brisk Air
• Pumpkin Spice
• Fall Festivals
• Changing Leaves

One thing that most of us can agree on is that the trees look especially beautiful as they change colors. They go from green to yellow, orange, and red. They look incredibly stunning as they brighten up the mountains and paint the horizon. I love to go on long car rides or take walks to enjoy the fall foliage while it lasts. Because it won't. Before we know it, the leaves will all fall to the ground and the trees will be bare.

The other day, I was looking out at the trees and thinking how strange it was that two trees could grow right next to each other yet look completely different. One still had all its green leaves, and the other had not a leaf left. One tree looked healthy, while the other looked dead. Then I turned my head to see yet another tree with leaves of bright, radiant colors. But then I thought.

They're just like us.

We are all growing at our own pace. Sometimes we are in full bloom. Full of life, healthy, and growing strong. We produce fruit, just like healthy trees do. The fruit we produce is different than trees of course. We produce Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22), love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Life is good. Other times, we are undergoing a huge transformation inside that looks beautiful to outsiders, but inside, much more is going on that no one can see. 

Like the leaves on the trees, some things have to die in our lives so we can continue to grow. At times it's something. Other times it's someone. Willingly, or through circumstances out of our control, they must be taken out of our lives. 

• It's painful.
• It's difficult.
• It's necessary.

A tree needs to shed it's leaves to remain healthy. As the color is drained from the leaf, so are the nutrients. The dead leaf is separated from the tree, but not before it sends vital minerals such as iron and sugars from the leaf down the stem, into the branches, and down to the roots. It then creates a seal at the base of the stem so the good stuff is trapped inside the tree and the tree can continue to grow. The fallen leaves, then act as a protection for the tree, providing a warm blanket, for the roots. By dying and falling off the branches, they are actually keeping the tree safe and healthy.  

Once all the leaves have done their job, it's time to rest. The tree is still alive, but not actively growing. It's in a waiting stage. All the stuff the tree needs to grow is still there. It's just being stored for the future. Roots are growing stronger in preparation for new life to begin again. At just the right time. God's time.

Does that sound familiar?

Sometimes God has to remove things or people from our lives in order for us to grow. We are constantly changing. Even when we don't feel or look our best, God is doing great things in us. Deep down, at the roots. Maybe others can't see it. Maybe we can't even see it ourselves. But God is there.

• Working. 
• Growing. 
• Removing.
• Revitalizing.
• Changing. 

Partnering with us for our good. If we let Him. 

What a beautiful and complex process each tree goes through during this fall season. As in every season, God is working in us also. Sometimes we can feel it. It may feel wonderful. It may feel scary. It may feel terrible. But ultimately, as he does for each tree, it is for our good and His glory. That is, if we let Him just do His work, the way it was planned. As we let Him give and take away, we will see why if we keep our eyes and hearts open.

So next time you look at the autumn leaves on the ground. Don't be so quick to rake them up to make things look tidy and perfect. Realize that even those leaves are useful. And in our lives, the hard things, the sad times, the seemingly "dead" things in our lives, serve a purpose too.

Remember that we, just like the trees, go through changes as we grow. Life isn't always bright and beautiful, but there is a season for everything. (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8) God can use even the not-so-pretty parts of our lives. When we acknowledge that, we can begin to live happily ever after, after. After the fall.

And we know that in all things

God works for the good of those who love him,

who have been called according to his purpose.

- Romans 8:28

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