It’s the first day of fall!!!!!!!!!!!
Yeah, I’m kind of excited! (Kind of over the top, maybe!)
Every year when the seasons change (and fall in particular), I’m reminded of the parallels between the seasons and our lives. It’s become somewhat cliche, but the phrase “Fall is proof that change is beautiful” is really so true.
Fall is beautiful, but the very things that make fall so beautiful are things that if you think about them don’t seem beautiful at all.
The Dying Leaves
I love it when the leaves change color! The fiery reds and oranges, the eye-catching yellows and majestic purples, even the dull browns make for a spectacular display.
But the process that makes those once vibrant green leaves turn those brilliant colors is actually a process of death.
You see, all spring and summer, the leaves are absorbing sunlight which helps them to keep growing and thriving. This process is called photosynthesis and since plants can’t consume food like humans and animals, this process is what helps the plants to create their own source of sustenance.
However, as the seasons change and less sunlight is available, the leaves are no longer able to continue that process. Chlorophyll, the green pigmented chemical that enables the process, starts to break down and that is when we see the colors.
Colors that have been there all along, but have been blocked by the processes that have been working so hard all summer.
Our Lives
In life we all go through seasons. Good seasons, bad seasons, seasons of growth and joy, and seasons of loss and pain. Sometimes however; it is through those low seasons that we learn things about ourselves or about life that we may never have discovered if life was always full of sunshine and roses.
Sometimes on the other side of a painful time, we can see some of the blessings that came out of it. To be honest though, there are many times when we cannot see those blessings. Sometimes it seems like we are constantly losing.
Losing hope, dreams, loved ones, jobs. Losing our health, our peace, our joy.
But that’s not the end of the story. Even though the leaves die, and some years the colors aren’t as brilliant, some years the only color you see is brown. Even though the leaves die, they always come back. They always grow again.
Spring Is Coming
Every spring, as the winter snows melt and the birds return from their southern journeys, you start to see green again. You start to see life where before you only saw death.
It doesn’t always happen quickly, but it happens.
Every. Year.
When it comes to life, sometimes we will have our springs here in this life. For some areas of our lives, we may go through falls and winters that end in glorious springs full of life and color and joy. For other areas, spring may never come on this side of heaven. Only God knows what seasons we will experience on this earth and which seasons we will have to wait for eternity to experience. But there is one thing that we do know:
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
