Colossians 1:13 “For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves.”
The change of seasons in the desert is often unrecognizable by looking out the window. In the desert, to experience the change of seasons, you have to actually walk out the front door. Autumn arrives in the desert by the dropping of our temperatures. Instead of daytime temperatures of 110 or above, we now experience the low nineties and high eighties. I love the change of temperature, although I do miss the change of colors that autumn brings. It is so pretty to watch the green leaves change into the vibrant colors of fall. The trees lose their green color and their vibrancy. They are beginning the process of being in a dormant state as they prepare for the winter months. When autumn approaches, the daylight grows shorter and there is not enough sunshine to feed the trees. They have to shut down to save their energy for the winter months. It is then that the color of the leaves changes and the trees go into a resting process through the winter. They begin to drop their leaves and end up looking bare and void of color.
We too when we are grieving, lose our vibrancy, our color. We feel bare and empty. We feel like we are withering away just like the dried out leaves that fall from the trees. Webster defines withering as to shrivel, to have a loss of energy, no force of freshness. That is a good description of a newly grieving person. We too need to save our energy. We might look like we are in a dormant state with no energy or no force, but we too are getting ready for a change and probably the most important life lessons we will ever learn. I can’t think of a time that will make us reflect on our life and its priorities more than when we have lost a loved one. It has a great way of giving us a new perspective on what is important and what is not. It is a time to be quiet, to reflect on what has happened and how we will walk through this new chapter of our life. It is also a time to make the most important decision of all. Are we going to turn towards our Creator of the universe or are we going to turn from Him? All of these changes will have a profound effect on the rest of our life. It will decide if the season of our lives will continue forward with a vibrant future or a future that will continue to wither.
Lord, we experience the change of seasons here in this universe You have created and each one brings its own special beauty and hardships. We also experience the seasons of the soul in this time of grief. The season of autumn is a time of quietness and change. Help us to rely on You to bring beauty out of this season of hardship.
