Autumn, a Season of Change

Autumn is only three days away. It’s hard to think about long sleeves and jackets when the weather is still so nice. But the trees all around us are slowly transforming from green into various hues of brown, rich reds, bright yellows mixed with bursts of orange. The air is turning crisp and the early mornings are chill enough to warrant a light sweater or jacket.

Autumn can be a bitter-sweet season for many of us. The days are growing shorter, the sun doesn’t shine so brightly and flowers have stopped blooming. It’s time to get out the pruners and clip back those rose bushes that brightened our warm, summer days. Trees are losing their splendor as leaves pile up on the front lawn and birds gather on the wires, tweeting about their plans to travel south.

Autumn. A season of change. A season that can often be melancholy as we watch our children leave home to go to college and we return to our daily routines. A time of letting go as we remember those we love who have passed on and we face our own waning strength and youthful vigor.

Yet autumn can also be a season of blessing. Camp fires, hot cocoa, warm sweaters, fuzzy slippers. A time of reaping, canning and storing for those long, winter months. A time of reflection upon all the Lord’s blessings and gathering together with loved ones to thank the Lord for His provision.

Autumn. A season to remember that:

·         Seasons were created, each for its own purpose.

There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven. Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NASB).

·         Seasons don’t last forever. This season, too, will pass.

“For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long.  Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever.  So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen.  For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.” 2 Corinthians 4: 17-18 (NLT).

·         Seasons may change, but God never changes. He is our constant.

“I am the Lord and I do not change.” Malachi 3:6 (NLT).

            In a season when change is inevitable, it is important to remember that God does not change. He is our constant and our shelter in the face of a changing world. When everything around us seems to be growing darker and dimmer, we must remember that God is in control and that this season is a part of his plan. And while it may be hard for now, it will not last forever. Spring will eventually come.