“He made the moon to mark the seasons, and the sun knows when to go down.” (Ps 104:19)

Although the calendar says it’s autumn, it has yet to feel like it here in Oklahoma. We often don’t see much of autumn at all―the weather stays in the 80s and 90s as it is now before dropping sharply into the 40s and 50s. The leaves simply die and fall from the trees. Last year, we had a banner year with record amounts of rain and riotous colors on the trees.

In spite of the warm (hot!) temperatures, my heart feels that autumn is upon us. As the seasons change, I’m reminded that although change is hard, it can also be beautiful. Here are a few lessons I’ve learned from autumn.

1. Letting 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.
2. Impact on mental and physical health. In the fall, we experience a drop in our energy levels as the days become darker and colder. For some, this means aching bones and joints or other physical maladies. For me, this means experiencing more days affected by seasonal affective disorder (SAD) as the shorter hours of daylight and occasional gray skies impact me. I’ve written about this before in an award-winning blog post, where I reveal some of the steps I take to alleviate the difficulties I experience from this mood disorder.
3. Preparing 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 their preparation, noting I should do the same to prepare for my own future―a future that depends on the things I do today.

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. We can take the lessons learned this fall and prepare for a bright, beautiful spring.

Dear Jesus, thank you for the changing of the seasons, which represent the cycle of life through growth, change, death, and resurrection. Help me embrace the changes that a fall season brings to my life. Show me how to grow closer to you through those changes and to look past the darkness of winter to the beauty that spring will bring. Amen.