Who doesn’t love seeing the beauty of the leaves changing color in Autumn? It always makes me reflect on why God would go to the trouble of making leaves so pretty before they die. I mean, it seems like it would have been easier to just drop the leaves without changing color; or maybe just take all the color out if them: let the leaves turn gray or black as death and let them drop to the ground.
But I think God chose to make Autumn beautiful on purpose.
You see, God loves us. We are His children and He wants us to be happy. (Jer 29:11) Think about the new dad who plays peek-a-boo with his infant child. It is an exercise designed to elicit delight in his child and yet there is no debate that it delights the father as well. Our Father in Heaven wants to delight us, too. He delights us with the beauty he can create. That’s why the autumn leaves (and sunsets) are so beautiful.
Interestingly, sunsets and Autumn are times that we typically think of as the end (or the death) of something. There are some that will tell you that when you die, that’s the end. When they go to a funeral, they think it is the end of that person’s life. When they look in the casket and see the body, they think they are seeing that person. I’m reminded of the great song “Some Day” by Blue Highway; the lyrics go like this:
“Some day when my last line is written; some day when I’ve drawn my last breath
When my last words on Earth have been spoken and my lips are sealed in death.
Don’t look on my cold form in pity. Don’t think of me as one dead.
It’ll just be the house I once lived in. My spirit by then will have fled.”
So when Christians see a body of a Christian, we know: s/he’s not dead. We know another day will dawn; another Spring will come; and after this life is another (much greater) life spent with Jesus. And God seems intent on showing us, on a regular basis, that what we see as the end, is actually not the end, but a new beginning — and cause for great celebration.
So our lives are not so different from that of a leaf. When we are young, we try to find our place in the world and grow, grow, grow! Our goal is to be big, strong, and productive. But hopefully, you will grow to realize that there is more to this world than just this world. Hopefully, you will appreciate and reflect God’s beauty more and more every day. The leaf is not sad; he knows that this is not the end. So be like the leaf. Become more willing to do whatever God has planned for you. Listen for direction. And when He calls you to do something different, go freely; then God’s beauty will shine through you. You will be spectacularly beautiful — even to those that have never seen you before today. And know that one day, God will pick you up in His hands, in a mighty wind and whoosh!! Away you will fly!
And won’t that be delightful for you and your Heavenly Father?! Peek-a-boo!!