SubscribeEnjoying autumn’s colors
Autumn, with its early morning chills and fiery foliage, has always been my season. As a child growing up in Savannah, it came as a welcome break from sweltering summers and as an eye-pleasing transition into winter. In recent years, it has become a time of retreat and renewal as I focus on strengthening my faith through prayer and fasting.
Walking along one of my favorite trails Monday morning offered moments of meditation. When my walking budding and I were not chatting, I reveled in the sound of the leaves crunching under my feet and the sight of yellow leaves tumbling from trees like magical droplets of rain. The array of burnt orange, green, deep red and gold colored trees against a blue sky always lead me into deep reflection.
Autumn in its full glory offers a passing beauty that I dare not miss, a chance to be in the moment and soak up visual delights that touch my soul. In moments like these, it’s clear to me that God is in the midst of us, that the rhythm of our interior seasons can also belong to Him.
I almost missed that chance yesterday to walk in God’s beauty. When my friend texted me about walking, my first response was “nah.” I just wanted to linger a little longer in the bed, with the covers pulled up over my head. I had learned the night before that a journalism friend, Mike McQueen, had died. I was thinking of Mike, a serious journalist and a witty guy, and his wife Glenda, whom I last saw a couple of years ago, following the murder of their son. My prayers go out to Mike’s family.
One thought led to another. So much is going on in the world around me, in the world period. So many people I know are struggling with issues. I had a busy day ahead of me, so I prescribed for myself a few more minutes I bed.
However with my friends prodding, I walked in the sunshine and found hope in the beauty of God’s most glorious season. Autumn. What’s your season?
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
Everything Has Its Time
1 To everything there is a season,
A time for every purpose under heaven:
2 A time to be born,
And a time to die;
A time to plant,
And a time to pluck what is planted;
3 A time to kill,
And a time to heal;
A time to break down,
And a time to build up;
4 A time to weep,
And a time to laugh;
A time to mourn,
And a time to dance;
5 A time to cast away stones,
And a time to gather stones;
A time to embrace,
And a time to refrain from embracing;
6 A time to gain,
And a time to lose;
A time to keep,
And a time to throw away;
7 A time to tear,
And a time to sew;
A time to keep silence,
And a time to speak;
8 A time to love,
And a time to hate;
A time of war,
And a time of peace.
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