Fall Is Here!
The leaves are turning now—reds and yellows are blossoming on our trees. The temperature is cooling—this week will be in the 60’s in the Charlotte area. As fall is here and winter not far behind, our lives process the loss of green in the landscape and the bareness of the trees to come. We settle into a quieter phase of the year once the color of fall is gone. Perhaps you and I will seek out God more in this season, echoing the quiet that will surround us. Perhaps we will elevate our trust in God and in all He does for us, daily and throughout the seasons.
That is always our task—to trust in God more and more and to live in His presence, actively with His support and love and forgiveness. It’s a life-long journey no matter when we started, echoing our innate ability to grow and change throughout the seasons of our lives as we take in new wisdom and new directions in our lives. What season of life are you in? Probably not in spring, but summer, fall or winter. I’m definitely in winter. And I am finding that I am content to just be alive and to listen for what God wants me to do now, and now, and now. I do think about dying, but I am not even worried about how that will happen. After all, God’s been with me for 40+ years, supporting, loving, and guiding me. His grace has created a whole new, fulfilling life for me, and I am content to be there, to be present to it, to Him and all that has meant to me. What more could I ask for?
How are you relating to the season of life that you are in? Is it fulfilling for you? Are you full of gratitude for where you are? Have you settled into following Jesus wherever He would take you? That is the one thing that we must do if we are to love God with all of ourselves: to let Him lead us to the fullness of who He created us to be. That is our job, to surrender all that we are attached to in the world to God, so that He can bring us to the fulfillment and purpose of our lives. And once we are there, we can feel the fruit of the Spirit of Galatians 5:22-23 fully in our lives: the ability to love like God loves, to be full of joy, to be at peace, to be patient with ourselves and others, to be good and kind to everyone, to be faithful, to be gentle, and to be humble. This is the amazing transformation that we will experience as we follow the Lord into the very life He designed for each of us. Praise be to God!
Announcement: In November I will post the last of the Deepening Posts. I am retiring from writing my By the Waters blog and my DeepeningYourFaith posts. Thank you for being a faithful reader. Pat Adams