Are You Having an Autumn Experience

Growing up in New England, I have had the privilege of witnessing the seasons change for over 30 years.  Every year the pattern is the same; Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall.  The winter is when everything is cold, frozen and you wanna stay bundled up.  The Spring is when everything begins to grow and blossoms.  It’s like a fresh awakening of the earth to show what is to come in the next season, summer!  Summer is when the earth gets a chance to Show off.  It gets a chance to display all of its blossoms and blooms and warm us up with the heat from the sun’s rays. The gorgeous flowers, scents that are in the air and the beautiful green leaves on every tree intensifies the joy and essence of summer.  Then there is autumn.  Autumn is when all those beautiful flowers begin to wither away, the green leaves begin to change colors, they dry out and fall to the ground leaving the trees to look as if they never had a blossom or bloom of any kind on them.  It’s not really hot or cold it’s what some would call, luke-warm.  Really what is happening is that the earth is shedding the excess baggage (if you will) to prepare for the heavy water, ice and freezing temperatures that are about to take place in the winter season.  It really is a time of transition. 

People come to New England from all over just to view the changing colors of the leaves, but they never come to see when they all fall to the ground.  They don’t realize that, that is the best part.  God is preparing the trees for the heaviness that is about to take place.  The wind is blowing just enough to get the leaves to fall and the trees are getting ready for what is about to take place.  He is positioning and equipping the trees to withstand the pressure of the cold winter months by lightening their load.  With that being said, I wanna ask you, “Are you having an Autumn experience?”

Job 39:11 - Will you rely on him for his great strength? Will you leave your heavy work to him?

I know it seems like everything that could possibly go wrong has been going wrong.  You are losing friends, money, time and influence (your leaves).  You’re looking at it as something negative.  It leaves you feeling bare and naked before the world, but really God is preparing you for the next cycle in the changing seasons of your life.  God is shaking the leaves and allowing dead things to fall by the waste-side, so that when the real pressures come you’ll be prepared.  You'll be able to withstand the pressures of life.

When we look at the trees in the fall they look weak and bare and like they would not be able to withstand the winds and the rain or the snow and the ice, but in fact it is just the opposite.  By them getting rid of the dead weight it actually frees them and allows more mobility to become limber, so that they can sway when the winds are blowing.  They will bend but not break because their limbs are not weighed down.  The sap inside of them has gone all the way down to the roots to keep them grounded, so even if a limb is lost, they’ll still stand.  They are dependent upon God to protect them and keep them when the Hurricanes, Snowstorms and Nor’easters come. 

This is what God requires of us.  We need to shed the dead things and become naked before him.  We need to allow the Word of God (our sap) that is down on the inside of us to root and ground us so that we cannot be moved in the time of trouble.  We should fully rely on him to protect us and keep us when the storms of life come up.

Joel 3:10…let the weak say, I am strong.

The wonderful thing about the fall and winter is the fact that Spring and Summer are soon to come.  So after the storms, after the rain and after the freezing cold, we know beyond a shadow of a doubt, that all those things that were once dead and barren will soon resurrect.  You will see the budding of leaves, flowers and life.  Things will begin to rise up again.  The birds come back singing their songs, the flowers begin to bloom and delight in the shining of the sun and the atmosphere is no longer cold and dark.  Instead it’s bright and warm.  We know that there is a season for everything and that if we are having an Autumn experience, Winter, Spring and Summer are sure to come.

Ecclesiates 3:1 - To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.

 

Be Blessed!

 

Really Mo