Fall to Winter

This morning as I drove toward the copper toned hills of Reading on my way to church, I am reminded that the autumn beauty is coming to an end.  That this season, while not yet over, is transitioning to represent a time of old dying away.  The bright golden hues have come and gone, the strong vibrant reds have faded and we are left with shades of brown, it is a sign that life has gone from the leaves and they are of no use to the tree anymore.  Such beauty in a time of death.  I can't help but think that God created us and nature with metaphors in mind.

I think of each one of us as the trees, our branches are arms reaching up toward the sun.  Growing in His love during the fair weather days, almost in preparation for the next season.  Ironically it's called "Fall," a time of shedding leaves.  A fiery display that is extinguished by passing time and chilly breezes.  The glorious colors offer diversity but all work together to form a collage of warmth on the tree filled hills.  The rains come, as do the gusts of wind, the trials and tribulations.  Trees who lack the strength of deep roots succumb to the power of Zephyrus.  They themselves fall away, at times taking other weakly rooted trees with them.  The leaves are of no use after they are void of chlorophyll, the leaf stem changes as it prepares to leave the tree, it eventually breaks off completely and leaves a small scar on the branch.  Toward the end of the season all the trees reveal the silhouettes of what and who they actually are, a season of vulnerability.  

I feel like this is us.  Representative of yet another point in time, another passing season.  One in which things that were once useful have met the time to pass on, revealing the growth that has happened underneath since the last time things had to pass on.  A "baring all" time.  The time that we allow our scars to be seen, a time that reveals the healing thats about to happen right before our eyes.  Honesty. Being seen.  Being vulnerable.  But in this there is hope.  Because while the old has passed on, the new is already being brought to life.  Death is just a poorly defined facade, new buds have already begun to form but will not be brought to the surface until after they are touched by the cold temperatures and eventually begin to feel the suns warmth amidst longer days.  It's a necessary part of the process in order to allow for new growth.       

The message touched on this today.  So fitting for where I am.  Allowing other's to see the flaws, to live without fear, vulnerability to allow others to see the scars, the twisted branches, the vines that suffocate, or the diseased portions of myself.  But the beauty of redemption is that Jesus covers us, He covers us all with the perfect blanket of white... welcome winter.