“Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.” (Jn 12:24)

Autumn is one of my favorite seasons, and it rarely lasts long here in Oklahoma. Sometimes, we don’t see much of autumn at all – the weather stays in the 80s and 90s before dropping into the 40s and 50s, and the leaves simply die and fall from the trees.

This year, the leaves have turned glorious colors. We’ve received a lot of rain and had many below-average temperature days in the 50s and 60s. It’s actually felt like fall. While I’m not ready for winter, I’m thankful for the glimpse these cool fall days give us of the beauty of God’s creation through nature.

We can learn many lessons from the autumn season. As the seasons change, I’m reminded that although change is hard, it can also be beautiful. The falling leaves show us how important it is to embrace change in order to move forward. Without autumn, we would have nothing to look forward to in the spring. While it looks as if everything is dead, fall is a time for dormancy – a temporary death, if you will – that results in rebirth in the spring. Fall is a beautiful metaphor for Jesus’ death and resurrection. Just as his death wasn’t permanent, neither is the death we see during the fall.

Autumn show us how to let go. I don’t know about you, but God has asked me to let go of many things in this life – relationships, material things, even a job – anything that I valued more than him. As the leaves change and fall to the ground, I’m reminded that I must freely release the things I’m holding onto that are holding me back or hindering my relationship with Jesus. I can’t dwell in the past and move forward at the same time. Learning to let go allows me to move into new beginnings and the new things that God has planned for me.

Autumn is a time of transition that has an impact on our mental and physical processes. In the fall, we experience a drop in our energy levels as the days become darker and colder. For me, this transition means experiencing more days affected by seasonal affective disorder (SAD) as the shorter hours of daylight and sometimes gray skies impact me. I’ve written about this before and revealed some of the steps I take to alleviate the difficulties I experience from this mood disorder.

In the fall, we’re reminded of how important it is to prepare for the future. I see squirrels digging in my yard and my flower pots, searching for the bounty they stored during the hot days of summer when pecans were plentiful. According to Proverbs 6:8, “yet [the ant] stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest.” I take note of the preparation, thinking I should do the same. I’d like to make plans for the future – a future that depends on the things I do today. For instance, I’d like to take a vacation, which can be difficult when running my own business. When I’m away, I have no employees to pick up the slack. On a larger scale, I think about retirement. I must make plans today to prepare for that reality.

This fall, I have seen God’s beauty as I walk with Lilly and reflect about the changes that have been and the changes to come. Soon the trees will be bare, and I will be lamenting the cold days of winter. But until then, I plan to take the lessons learned along the way and prepare for a bright, beautiful spring.

Dear Jesus, thank you for the fall season in which we see your beauty displayed. Help me embrace change and grow closer to you as I do. Show me how to look past the darkness of winter to the beauty that spring will bring. Amen.