(Excerpts taken from my soon to be published book God Is)
Autumn is my favorite season. It's full of beautiful colors and fun festivities. Growing up, we went on hey rides in my great grandpa's wagon, jumped in piles of leaves, went to the local apple orchard, and enjoyed cider and doughnuts. Granddad took us all out to his pumpkin patch in his little red trailer with the tractor and we would pick out a pumpkin to carve. We dressed up and went to Grandma's on October 31st--which happened to also be our Aunt Becky's birthday. In November we gathered together for Thanksgiving with our extended family. Dad made the best turkey and Grandma Hall's dressing was a tradition that my mom now carries on. These are only a few reasons why I love fall.
It can be discouraging to think of the coming winter. This is a common thought for many and it can take away from the beauty of fall. We need both autumn and winter, however, for all things in creation to be rejuvenated come spring. If the leaves didn't fall off and die, there would be no room for the new buds in the springtime.
What's neat is that before the leaves die, they turn colors. This really got me thinking. Have you ever wondered why the leaves change colors before they die? What is the point? It's beautiful, that's for sure. I think that God was just going above and beyond--yet again--for us. Leaves don't have to be beautiful before they die. They could just wither away, but God made fall special. He made it beautiful.
We can learn all kinds of things from God's creation. Like the leaves, our lives should be full of color before we die. Just because we grow old or get sick doesn't mean we don't have anything left to offer.
God shows us His love and care by going the extra mile and adding brilliant colors to dying leaves. If He cares enough for a dying leaf to give it a chance to shine in all it's colorful beauty, then He certainly cares for us, so much more. And we certainly have much more of a reason to shine.
The Bible tells us in Matthew 5:16,"In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven"
Notice the picture on the far right. If you look closely you will see a heart in one of the leaves. No one cut it or photoshopped it. I just looked down in our yard and saw this leaf standing upright in all it's natural beauty, designed by God. He made it beautiful and then He even carved a little heart just so I would see it and feel His love. How special. God cares about the details in creation and He cares much more about the details of our lives.
When we grow older or our bodies continue to decline (even when we're young) we often get discouraged and dwell on the coming winter. We think of the cold and the coming snowstorms in our lives. We think of the lonely times and the chilling thoughts that haunt us in the dark. The sun sets so much earlier in the winter, leaving us alone with our thoughts in the darkness. These are the things that can take over and consume our minds.
We dwell on the pain that the cold brings without stopping to notice the beauty of a winter's day. Do you ever take the time to study the sparkling snow? Do you look for God's unique design in each snowflake as it falls or frosts onto your window pane? Do you ever notice the way the ice cycles form on the tiniest twig on the branch of a tree? Winter is beautiful too. God doesn't just leave us in the dark.
The same goes for life, as the seasons change in our lives and we approach winter, we can be consumed in our depressing thoughts. We often dwell on the pain or the things we used to be able to do and forget to notice the things that we can still do. We can be so busy dwelling on the negative things in life that we forget to be thankful for the positive things. The Bible teaches us to be thankful in all circumstances. (See my previous blog post Thank God for the Trials to hear more about being thankful when times are hard).
We are also taught to set our minds on the things above.
Colossians 3:1-17
"Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
"Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.
"Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
"Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."
So you see, this is not the end. Winter isn't the end. Springtime is coming. We have this hope; this assurance. Spring will come again. Maybe this is your last winter on earth, but when springtime comes in Heaven it will be even more beautiful. Here are two poems that come to mind when I think of these things.
"Spring Will Come Again"
Red and yellow orange and brown—
Leaves are falling down
Cold and crisp the air is changing,
But don’t put on a frown
For seasons change—they come and go;
The sky’s not always blue
And with the change comes days of cold
To help make things anew
When Jesus came the change was death,
Pain, suffering, and strife,
But through his death and resurrection
Came for us new life
When trials come—‘tis also change,
But how else would we grow
God is always teaching us
The things we ought to know
Yes leaves will change and cold will come
The snow will fall and then
It all will melt with warmer air
And spring will come again.
By: Christine Elizabeth (Eves) Martin
Written: October 10, 2016
Dedicated to and written for Mrs. Benita Jaster
"Springtime in Heaven"
I cry in the dead of winter because
You are gone away from me
But when springtime comes in Heaven
What a beautiful sight that will be
To look down and see the flowers
And the budding of the trees
To watch the ice just melt away
From winter’s icy freeze
You’ve a perfect view from Heaven
To look down upon the earth below
To watch the grass sprout green
And see the flowers grow
You always loved the springtime
When the cold would melt away
And the sun would warm the earth
And brighten up the day
I’ll miss you here at springtime
And everyday in between
But when springtime comes in Heaven
‘Twill be more beautiful than you’ve ever seen.
By: Christine Elizabeth (Eves) Martin
Written January, 20, 2018 in loving memory of Grandma Hall and read at her funeral
There is so much more to life than death. We live and die, but when we know Jesus as our personal Savior, there is so much more to life and so much more to death. Death isn't the end. When our final winter is over here on earth. Spring--our renewal of life--comes in Heaven. So when leaves start to fall, don't be discouraged. Christ arose! He lived, died, and rose for you. That's great news and it gives us a reason to go on living inside of this world.
Here is a song that God laid on my heart not long after I was diagnosed with Muscular Dystrophy. I had a bad night and was in a lot of pain. The next morning, this song came to my mind. You can listen to it by clicking on the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8-79jakIhc
"He’s Everything I Need"
Verse 1:
My life is changing fast
Though my age is young my body’s feeling old
So many plans have had to change
My whole life must rearrange
I don’t know what the future holds
But God does and He’s holding me
He gives strength and sets my spirit free
Chorus:
He’s my reason to go on living inside of this world
And my prayer is that you would get to know Him the way that I do
That when everything seems lost, you would see Him on that cross
And you’d feel His love and know He’s all you need
He’s everything to me
Verse 2:
One day when all hope seemed lost
He came down and filled my heart with peace
This life we do not understand
But He holds us in His hands Our praise to Him should never cease
One night when the pain was strong
He came down and gave my heart a song
Chorus:
He’s my reason to go on living inside of this world
And my prayer is that you would get to know Him the way that I do
That when everything seems lost, you would see Him on that cross
And you’d feel His love and know He’s all you need
He’s everything to me
End:
When all seems lost, it isn’t lost ‘cause God is still everything I need
By: Christine Elizabeth (Eves) Martin
Written: May 5, 2021
This life is full of many seasons, something my mom and I have talked a lot about. This next poem explains it well.
"The Seasons of Life"
Your life is like the seasons—
From the day you’re born ‘Till the day you die
Some days are filled with happiness
And some days--they will make you cry.
The springtime is your childhood—
Full of laughter and of fun
And how the time goes quickly by
For each and everyone.
In summer—you are still yet young,
But you are getting older,
You are fulfilling dreams and making choices
Your steps are getting bolder
When the leaves are changing colors
And the autumn breezes start to blow
You still may be going strong
But your footsteps seem to be getting slow
And when the winter snow arrives
On someone now you must depend
For you have lived through the seasons of life--
Which now are coming to an end.
By: Christine Elizabeth (Eves) Martin
Written: September 19, 2014
Seasons change. We change. Leaves fall. We fall. We all go through the seasons of life. But that's not the end, there's more to tell. The following song explains it well.
"When Leaves Start to Fall"
Verse 1:
Ever wonder why the leaves change colors in the fall
Pretty colors: red and orange, golden brown while corn grows tall
In the autumn when the wind blows cold
Ever wonder why they call them the happy golden years Seems like in life that’s when we shed more tears When the winter is coming and we’re growing old
Chorus:
Leaves fall; we fall
That’s life, after all
But that’s not the end, there’s more to tell
Christ rose; and I suppose
That that’s the greatest news of all
Aren’t you glad it’s not the end when leaves start to fall
Verse 2:
Like the leaves, our lives should be full of color before we die
To show the world what Christ has done in our lives by and by
There’s joy to know that there’s new life just beyond the blue
Looking back over life, you’ll see his hand all along
When we’re at our weakest point, that’s when Christ is strong
He shows his love look at all he’s carried you through
By: Christine Martin
Written: September 3, 2023
Christ rose! That really is the greatest news of all. Remember this the next time you feel discouraged about the changing seasons. Step back and enjoy the beauty of autumn and look too for the beauty in winter. Remember, spring is coming. Aren't you glad it's not the end when leaves start to fall?
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