Devotion: Happy Fall!

Fall is the most beautiful time of year. The colors of nature rival the Christmas lights. Fall is my favorite time of year. The temperatures are not too hot or too cold, they are just right.

There is that feeling of expectation in the air. When I think about that feeling of expectation I think of spring. Right now in all the beauty of fall what we are seeing is a season of dying. The crops are being harvested, the leaves will be curling up and dying, the flowers are dying. Fall is a season of dying.

Dying is the end of a season, but there is the expectation of a new beginning. In the spring there will be new green leaves, new flowers will sprout up from the roots of the old plants and the beauty of creation again begins a new cycle.

It is that way with us also. We have seasons in our lives. Spring time mirrors our childhood, full of new beginnings and learning. It is a time of innocence and discovery. Then comes summer which would be the season of our teen years, full of passion and a belief that we are invincible. Fall follows summer which mirrors our season of maturity, full of brilliant colors and a settled calm. Finally, winter comes and covers the ground with a blanket of white just as age brings a sense of settled rest and quiet contemplation.

Each season has its own ups and downs, but each season of our life is a gift from our Father God. God is there for us in every season and in all the trials and joys in our life. In Isaiah 41:10 we read: “Fear not, for I am with you, be not dismayed, for I am your God: I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous hand.”

Just as we embrace this beautiful season of fall, we also need to reach out and embrace the love and promise of salvation from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!