Seasons. Constantly changing as the evolving world around us spins both in and out of control. Sometimes I wish I could halt the forward progress of this crazy life, slow the rhythm of the busyness that becomes the day-to-day routine, take a deep breathe that lasts longer than a few moments, pause… and start over again. But seasons must change.
My favorite quiet time is spent on my patio. Under the warm, clear sky with a gentle blanket encompassing me, I stare into the abyss of the universe that God has created. The stars are miraculous and awe-inspiring. To me, they reflect the wonder and the mysteries of heaven and what awaits beyond this atmosphere. The beauty of fiery shooting-stars takes the very God-given breath from my lungs. As the summer season begins to dissipate, each night I take note of the shifting of the stars. A little further the constellations push-away from their warm positions, making room for the new. Often I wish I could stay in that realm of stability, peaceful and quiet…but life? It must shift… just like the stars.
This time of year, the leaves begin to transform into diverse shades of beauty. It seems that each unique branch from the trees in the woods around me, lining the streets and the interstates alike, begin their process of renewal. But first, they must let go of the past. The leaves must say goodbye to the summer breeze and the warm glisten of sun and hydrations of summer gales as they prepare to drop their earnest work of the summer season. And so begins the process of change.
Fall has much to offer us in beauty this time of year. Cooler temperatures create opportunities for creativity. Many things become new. School sessions begin again, favorite outdoor sports become routine, the aroma of warm meals and comfort foods and pumpkin-flavored spices take over.
Though I can’t help but wonder about the inner transformation that seasons bring? I watch the leaves say quiet goodbyes to their once lively home, as they fall and kiss the cooling earth. And just as the warm night air gives way to brisk autumn chill, my heart begins a renewal process. We cannot gain something new, while holding on to the past. We cannot begin the process of transformation until we have let go of what has run its course and look forward to what God has stored up for us in the next. It’s as if the trees are teaching us this lesson. Let go of what you cannot hold, but with empty branches and empty hands open our hearts to what our Creator is preparing for us in His coming season.
As the stars shift and the leaves display their majesty and life’s work, so let our lives display the wonder and handiwork of our Creator. When other’s look to me, let them be in awe of the beauty and change that God can create within them too.
So in quiet anticipation, I will open my hands as they empty out praise and thank God for His beauty both in and around me as the seasons of life change.. And I will surrender my faults to his feet just as the leaves fall to the ground. And I will wait. Because as Creation teaches us the beauty of surrender? Let us also seek the beauty of renewal and transformation that is the promised season to come.
The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever. Isaiah 40:8