Autumn Winds of Change
Driving up north (4 hours one way) to see my mother last weekend, one of the first things hubby and I noticed along the highway were green trees with brilliant patches of colored leaves. Small, but noticeable.
“Noooo,” I lamented. “I’m not ready!”
Eventually, I acknowledged that, well, it is mid-September and fall officially is coming (today, in fact). Still, since I love summer, I wanted to bury my head in the sand and deny autumn’s arrival.
You know what happens when we bury our head in the sand? We don’t see anything. And as much as I am a sun worshipper, I can’t get enough of the colors of autumn. (Or the flavors, says this Pumpkin Spice Girl.) I’d hate to miss out on either by clinging to last season.
I’ve heard it said that autumn shows us how beautiful it is to let things go.
We notice the spectacular beauty of the trees, but often forget that the next step involves the trees letting those leaves go. There’s no hesitation. They just do it. It’s how the trees prepare for winter, knowing there’s rebirth again in the spring. It’s an annual cycle. And the trees don’t doubt their spring will come.
Sometimes we forget we are natural beings, too, and our lives also have cycles. There are times we hold on, and there are the times that we have to learn to let go. From my experience, it’s rarely an easy process. While change can be a good thing, it can be intimidating as well. Most people say change is one of their biggest fears. That is completely understandable. Usually, in order to change, something new has to replace something old. Something within your comfort zone has to go.
We know from our book study of If You Want to Walk on Water, You've Got to Get Out of the Boat (John Ortberg), letting go, stepping out of our comfort zone, or closing a chapter of our lives can be challenging. If we can learn anything from trees, it’s that we have to let chapters end if we're to move on to the next chapter. We have to let seasons run their course if the next season is to come on time. Spring can't make its way into our worlds if we're still trying desperately to hold on to the previous summer. (Sorry, Mr. Deck Chair).
God knows exactly what He’s asking when He says to, “Throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.” (Hebrews 12:1) He’s got plans for us. And he’ll support us during our barren “winter.” But in order to experience the full depth of all He has, we must let go. So a better, deeper, and more beautiful version of us can grow.
Ready to fly, my fellow leaves?
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