Little Yellow Leaves
Fall is a strange season. We have had a hot summer, and all of a sudden the season has changed. I walk every morning, and my walks have gone from shorts and tee shirt to sweat shirt and gloves. The trees have gone from all green to dropping leaves. The Fall season has suddenly come to us! Carolyn and I used to live in Harrisonburg, and at the District Parsonage there were twenty-four oak trees. Now Fall at this house was amazing. Leaves fell around the clock, and we raked leaves until after Thanksgiving. As soon as the green began to disappear, the leaves fell. As much as I wished they wouldn’t fall, the trees listened to their Maker. In order for the trees to flourish in the new season, the trees must let go of their decayed leaves.
Fall is a wonderful time to observe nature. Just as trees don’t hold on to their dead leaves, we shouldn’t hold on to any unnecessary weight in our lives. I shared with you recently from Ephesians 4:31, 32 – “Get rid of bitterness, rage and anger, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another…”
To get rid of the negativity in our lives we must identify it. We should – read God’s Word! We should allow God’s Spirit to guide us. We should get rid of bitterness and anger. We need to ask God to help us let go of the guilt from the past.
God longs to empower and strengthen us for the season ahead. If we’re not sure of the issues detaining a kind and compassionate spirit, God will show us when we ask! If we want to be ready for a new season, we have promises like the one found in Isaiah 43:18, 19.
Prayer – Lord, I am hanging on to dead leaves. Shine your light of this new season on my life and remind me that I need a fresh relationship with You. Allow me to let go of everything that will hinder a new relationship with You! Amen.
Isaiah 43:18-19 – “Forget the former things; do not dwell in the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”
Author: Tommy Herndon
Photo: Meg MacDonald, courtesy of Unsplash
