Fall Leaves
The fall is the time of year when
thousands of sightseers pack up for a weekend getaway, depart on a
scheduled vacation, or board a tour bus to travel country roads and
highways for the sole purpose of discovering tree-covered mountainsides
swathed in autumn leaves. It’s like a treasure hunt, where the prize at
the end is to be gazing out over a breathtaking panorama of fall colors.
Going all the way back to creation,
God imparted in certain trees the necessity of the chlorophyll, or the
green in the leaves, to be dependent on the sun. The direct sunlight
that is in abundance from the long days of spring and summer produces
the green leaves we enjoy for months.
As we get past summer and head
toward the winter months, the earth’s rotation away from the sun
becomes noticeable. The days become shorter, and that diminishes the
amount of direct sunlight the chlorophyll needs to produce green. The
yellow, red and orange colors, which have been in the leaves all along,
finally have a chance to break through as the green in the leaves
disappears.
This is an outcome no botanist or
horticulturist can duplicate in a greenhouse. Only the God of the
universe is capable of causing leaves, which have been green since
spring, to transition into shades of red, orange and yellow in the
fall.
Despite the beauty that one sees
when the trees are seen from afar, and when all the colors are merged
into a dramatic palette of color, I gained a different perspective
after I moved to North Carolina.
From afar, when all the trees can be
seen en masse, one only sees the beautiful colors, and this brings
sightseers from around the country to view them in all their glory.
However, though there are some species of trees that turn colors
beautifully, and even close up they are gorgeous, the leaves of most
trees become speckled with black and brown spots, and they begin
deteriorating before the leaves completely change their color. You
don’t see this ugliness from a distance, but you do close up.
Eventually, the leaves turn gray, fall off and only bare, exposed limbs
remain. Where is the beauty now? Where are the busloads of tourists
with their binoculars and cameras?
As a young girl, I attended a
neighborhood Good News Club through which I became familiar with the
Wordless Book. Each of its five pages is of a different color, and the
green page represents Christian growth. The transition of the leaves’
colors reminds me of this page. In this case, however, the s-u-n
becomes the S-o-n. The more believers are exposed to the Son, the more
His light makes a significant impact on them. Their spiritual lives
become green, or in other words, spiritually healthy and vibrant.
Keep in mind that when the leaves of
the trees change colors, it’s not a process that happens overnight.
It’s gradual. The same is true for believers. When they spend less time
in the word and less time in fellowship with their heavenly Father, the
S-o-n has less and less influence on believers’ lives. Before they
realize it, they have moved away from the Lord and the colors of their
hearts and lives begin to change. Unfortunately, most believers don’t
notice the changes themselves, but it does become noticeable to others.
That’s why believers are encouraged
to regularly spend time in the Word and in prayer. Just the slightest
movement away from the S-o-n can alter their colors and what others
see. Even when a person appears to have it all together, and from a
distance we might covet what they seem to have, up close we might gain
a different perspective.
After spending time in their
presence, it will generally become apparent that the S-o-n isn’t a
major influence in their lives. That’s not to say these folks aren’t
wonderful, kind people, it’s just that their priorities and interests
in life are no longer Son-centered. And, while they most likely don’t
see it themselves, a closer look will reveal gray areas and a bareness
that can only be filled with Jesus.
But just as autumn lasts only for a
season, as does winter, alas there is spring! The sun begins to do its
magical work in bringing forth green leaves, as well as blossoms in
gorgeous whites, yellows, purples, pinks, oranges, and every color
imaginable. So, if you find yourself in a spiritual slump or depression
because you haven’t been spending time in the S-o-n, the solution is
simple. His forgiveness, His grace and His love can transform your
brown, dull leaves, or conditions of your life, into beautiful,
colorful qualities that radiate His beauty.
The chorus of one of my favorite
Gaither songs describes this process perfectly:
Something beautiful, Something
good,
All my confusion He understood,
All I had to offer Him was brokenness and strife,
But He made something beautiful of my life.
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