Fall is one of my favorite seasons. The air is cool and crisp. The leaves start to change colors and fall. What a beautiful season of transition.
I think the trees instinctively know something that we could all use a reminder of occasionally: The beauty of letting dead things go.
You see-the reason trees shed their leaves is to prepare for the winter season ahead. They will need to conserve energy in the harsher elements. But the trees know that the winter will not last forever….if they are willing to be stripped of their leaves and experience what looks like “barrenness” for a season, they know that Spring will be right around the corner. Their preparation process prepares the way for new growth and new life each year that brings nourishment to the plant.
I wonder how much of the time we are preventing our own blessings from coming to pass in our lives because we are unwilling to let those “dead leaves” go. In order for a tree to grow new leaves in Spring, it has to release the old, dying leaves in the Fall. It’s often the same way in our lives. We have to be willing to give up what God DIDN’T send in order to receive the very best that He has for us in our lives.
Today, pray this prayer with me: “Lord, please show me if I am hanging onto any “dead things” in my personal life that I need to let go of to prepare the way for new growth. Surround me with your love and give me the courage and strength to let go. Remind me that Winter seasons do not last forever, and there is a glorious Spring around the corner if I will be obedient and not lose hope. Amen!”