As the fall winds and rain move in, sending the changing leaves falling to the ground, I’m reminded of how much the seasons of this world are like the seasons of this life. Like the leaves in the fall, we too go through times of change, and sometimes during those times, all it takes is the smallest of winds or tiniest bit of rain in our life to send us falling to our knees…
Have you ever looked around in the fall and noticed the different reactions and approaches people take when it comes to all the falling leaves in the yard? In some yards, the leaves just pile up and up and up, and there they remain as the winter’s cold slowly creeps in, and the snow begins to drift down, burying them all in its deep, dark depths all winter long. In other yards, a leaf barely starts to drift down, and right on cue, a person pops out the door fully dressed and equipped with hat, scarf, coat and boots on, leaf blower in hand, ready to blast that nuisance from their yard! Then there’s the yards where the leaves are given their time to fall, but upon the completion of each stage of the different types of leaves falling, the people can be witnessed raking them all up into a big pile, followed by joy filled children jumping and playing in them, before they are finally bagged up and discarded…
A month ago today, my Mom died, bringing about a change that, though eventually inevitable, came unexpectedly. Change like this is never easy, but like all other change, it came with a choice – do I take the, “I’ll deal with it later,” approach and end up buried in the snow feeling lost and alone and hopeless?...Do I turn to my weakness of striving for perfection and run around like the frantic leaf blower trying to keep my “yard” clean of life’s mess? Or do I stay on my knees for this appointed season in life, waiting for the change to sink into my soul and seek to find peace and joy in the process? The truth is, no matter the approach chosen, I know that God is faithful and spring will eventually come, bringing with it the warming suns and cleansing rains that bring forth new growth. However, my hope is that, during this fall season of my life, you will find me on my knees praying to our precious Lord until the time is right to begin the work. And when that day comes, though the work will be hard, it will come to a close with leaps of joy and celebration for my Mom’s life and all that she’s given me.
“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.” -Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” Romans12:12
“I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God…” –Psalm 40: 1-3
