Fashioned for Fall
The seasons have certainly shifted! Perhaps you have flipped your closet to a warmer wardrobe and pulled out your cardigans! Have you stripped your toenail polish of the summer shades for deeper tones or for fuzzy socks and boots? And, many of you have the coveted pumpkin spice latte in hand as you peruse the local farm for the best fall décor for your porch. The nights are cooler beckoning us to awaken the heater in our homes. My heart agrees with the authors of both Ecclesiastes and Anne of Green Gables, “to everything, there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven” (Ecc. 3:1), and “I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.” (Lucy Maud Montgomery).
Fall reminds us we are fashioned for change.
Although change can be difficult, it is necessary for growth. In Ecclesiastes 3:2b it continues to remind us there is “a time to plant, and a time pluck up what is planted.” If you do any type of gardening or yardwork, this time of year is when the flower beds need to be cleaned up, bushes need to be trimmed back, and plants need to be winterized to withstand the first frosts and harsh winds of the winter ahead. After the yard and florals have been full of fragrant blooms during the spring and summer, the cutbacks make the yard look so drab and boring for the fall and winter. It’s like spending the day at the salon. (Ladies, c’mon, we all understand this analogy!) When our beautician cuts our hair just a little too short for our liking, the initial cut feels terrible! But our stylist most likely can see something that we cannot about our hair, perhaps, too many dead ends, dry or brittle roots, or damaged follicles. But we trust her and her expertise to make the cut with precision and skill. In the long haul, the hair grows in healthier. The same applies to our flowerbeds, gardens, and our hearts. The cutbacks to the bushes and florals in the fall will achieve a better and bigger production ahead.
It’s the time and labor invested in the autumn that will reap the benefit in the spring.
As the leaves begin their beautiful pirouette down to the lawn, an annual process took place just prior. Deep within the trunk of the tree, beautiful nourishment fed the tall structure. The abiding branches received all that that tree could give through the warmer months. However, at some point, the tree knows it must store necessary food for the cold days ahead. The leaves no longer receive the chlorophyll, and the trap door is closed at the stem. The leaves begin to turn into a vibrant display of artistic grandeur! And one by one, those leaves must let go of what is familiar and safe, and gently float to the grass below, leaving the tree eventually bear.
The Fall reminds us it is okay to let go and embrace change.
The old show tune “If You Could See Me Now” is a great anthem of how things are just not the same in one’s life. Consider what happens beyond the autumns and winters when new life begins to stir deep beneath the soil and within the fibers of the trees. As life warms up again, new burst of color and beautiful fragrances will fill the air. This cycle in nature is precious, detailed and marveled over. “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor.” Psalm 8:3-5.
The landscape of your heart, if well maintained, will be noticed by others.
So dear friend, are you fashioned for a “fall season” spiritually? Are you willing to let go, like the leaves do from the trees, and embrace the change? God surely has something beautiful in store.
