A Fall Perspective
The Color of Life
Absolutely incredible! Breathtaking! Exhilarating! These are but a few of many phrases we speak to try to communicate the awesome color of Gods creation during autumn's annual processional.
My wife, Sophia, enjoys sharing her passion for fall foliage. (Fall is her favorite time of the year.) Whether it's a short bicycle ride around our neighborhood or a more than scenic 17 mile trip down the Virginia Creeper Trail in the mountains of western Virginia, we're provided with a spectacular and peculiar perspective of autumn. The vibrant scenery blessed me with the contrast between its beauty and the power, wisdom, and love of God.
The striking beauty of autumn’s colorful flora is but a part of creation and on the surface brings warm and fuzzy feelings to many of us. But for deep thinkers like myself there is always more than what meets and pleases the eye.
A Season of Change
The breathtaking imagery of fall is a precursor to the oncoming winter months. Isn’t it amazing how such beauty, in all of its splendor, is but a foreshadow of the cold and often harsh winter months to come?
The bible says, “For everything, there is a season.” Somehow, I was reminded that after the brilliant colors of the fall foliage have come and gone we are left with falling leaves and barren landscapes. This sharp contrast struck a chord within me because of our involvement with Comfort Zone Camp, a national child bereavement organization.
Negative events can help us grow. Grief is a natural process and part of our humanity. The loss of a loved one often shades our perspective on life and dwelling on the sorrow can hinder our growth.
Each one of us has the capacity to see the beauty of creation. Our perceptions sometimes cloud reality. For example, we often miss the true power in the changing of the leaves because of their amazing pageantry. We perceive the leaf as incredibly beautiful, and it is, yet it is dying and continually changing into food for future environments.
The Changing Landscape of Love
Our experience of grieving can become food for future growth in maturity and strength for ourselves and for others. When we see that changes in our lives can serve a greater purpose, it can transform us into works of art just like the landscapes of fall.
The panoramic views of the mountains and the rustling of the multi-colored leaves in our neighborhood reminded me that God loves us and has a plan for everything, including you and me. That plan is perfect and though the magnificence of the fall foliage browns into winter, what is provided is a cycle of growth in spring and summer and a love that is never-ending for all creation.
Living and dying are a part of eternal life. It is indeed the most beautiful expression of love.
