Winds of Change

I love this time of year. In Oklahoma, it's rare to have fall. We tend to have extreme temps that bring either a quick end to summer with the cold temps or an extended summer leading into December with no medium season transitions. So when fall actually comes with all of its colors a blazin', I can't help but be appreciative of the most brilliant display in the trees, the leaves, the flowering mums, the pumpkins as we prepare for the changing of the calendar months.

Today I was thinking about how it is such a cool thing to see the colorful leaves change as if I was watching God with His pallet of paint. A hand painted portrait of God's might in creation. And then He reminded me of what fall really was. Not only a beautiful and colorful canvas He paints for us but a time of change, of transition. As pretty as the leaves are, they will eventually fall on the ground and turn brown and swiftly blown away in windy swirls to places unknown. Soon long gone and forgotten to leave a tree bare and exposed. The naked trunk boasts of bark that is exposed to the weather, the harsh elements, and hopes to stand the test of time. This is the growing cycle of the tree.

The same growth cycle can happen in our spiritual lives as well. It's a process that happens in our hearts. Fall brings a natural and necessary time of pruning or shedding of things that we have allowed in our lives that we need to drop, letting go of what gets in the way of us loving God, pursuing His purpose or vision for our lives, and serving Him with the abilities given to us. And therefore letting the windy swirls take our "leaves" to places unknown. This brings growth in our spiritual walk. We have seasons of growth, of pursuing God, of change, and producing fruit. And then we have seasons of pruning, shedding of our outer leaves, to expose our rough exterior. John 15:5 says, " I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same beareth much fruit: for apart from me ye can do nothing.

The important part of this whole fall narrative is to stay connected to God, allow him to change you. Change brings growth, growth brings change. Keep pursuing God, let God pursue you. Allow Him paint a new portrait on your canvas. Let go of your “leaves” with hopes of getting new ones. God wants to do a new work in you. Will you let him?