Fall Leaves

During winter, there is not enough light or water for photosynthesis, the green chlorophyll disappears from the leaves and the tree will break it down and it will be reabsorbed by the tree. The trees will rest, and live off the food they stored during the summer. As this begins the other pigments in the leaves begin to show through; yellow, orange and red.

This is important for the survival of the tree, the inward work and the slowing down of the outward are important for survival in winter, and then to be revived in Spring.
Most people I know say Autumn is their favorite season. I know they are speaking of the 4 seasons, that we rarely observe in the Valley of the Sun, but just a quick drive North to Flagstaff, then we can see. In the Valley even though it is Fall, it usually just means we can walk outside in the evening and morning without sweating.

What is your favorite season spiritually? Fall? Winter? Spring? Summer? Spring is mine.

Fall and winter are necessary for Spring. Without Fall and winter, the replanting, germination of being deep in the soil, taking root, would result in less growth in the Spring!

We just came back from leaf-peeping in the Smokey Mountains and I was thinking a lot about this process and how exhilarating it feels to be in such abundance of beauty.

Spiritually, it is important for us to rest and take our food from the Lord deep into our Spirits and to absorb all that He has for us; this feeds our roots and prepares us. It is sometimes difficult when we see this great display of beauty to realize it is soon time to prune. Time to absorb His Word, to rest in Him in order to grow and produce fruit where He has planted us for the next season. Resting in the LORD is not sleeping or doing nothing, on the contrary it is an alignment, where we press in the Word and prayer and allow God to nourish us from the inside out, our hearts, minds, soul.

Ecclesiastes 3: 11 ; 1 He has made everything beautiful and appropriate in its time, He has also planted eternity in the human heart, yet man cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.
1 There is a season (a time appointed ) for everything and a time for every delight and event or purpose under heaven

I am preparing to cut down my grape plant, the leaves are just making a mess, I absolutely love the shade and beauty they bring to my patio, but if I do not do this I will be chasing dust of leaves and picking the dead from the new life. So down it goes to just a little stump. It will be all new in Spring. Any gardener will tell you, if you want a good harvest you have to prune and pick, even the fruit you are not eating so that the plant has time to ‘rest’ and get full nourishment in order to have a greater harvest next season.
Don’t we need the same? I love how the Lord does all His work internally in us at our roots so that we can spring into a great harvest in due season. I guess I bring this up not just because of my grape plant, or the changing of the leaves, but we are all in this season, just at different places, so the expression is different.

I am in a season of Fall, enjoying the beauty, but not looking forward to all the clean-up. It is time to remove the debris. Return my focus on the internal work. He who began a good work in me will continue. And if He takes care of the grass in the fields that are here one day and burned up the next, how much more will my Heavenly Father take care of me?
Be encouraged a pruning and inward work are needed for a great harvest, and He is more than faithful!! We know this to be true, because He said so.

Psalm 92: 1-2 AMP
1 IT IS a good and delightful thing to give thanks to the LORD, to sing praises to Your name, O Most High.
2 To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning and Your faithfulness by night.

May God richly Bless you with His Presence,

Ayse