Falling Leaves and Letting Go – 5 Faith Lessons to Embrace this Fall

There are so many things we can embrace in this season of Fall as we watch the leaves change color and eventually fall.  It’s a time of change, for sure. But it isn’t all about the leaves and the season. This is the perfect time to reflect and make needed changes in our lives. Here are five lessons to embrace this Fall as we watch the leaves change and fall.

CONTROL

I’m not what one would call a control-freak, but I sometimes think, I would have done that differently. Sometimes we cling too tightly to those things over which we simply cannot/will not relinquish control. What if that thing you’re clinging to so tenaciously is a thing God sees as something that needs to be cast out of your life? Let go and let God is a recent saying and a good one to remember. Isaiah 41:10 (ESV) says: Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Knowing God is in control is far better than thinking I know better than He does.

 

FEAR OF CHANGE

If there was ever anyone who hated change more than I, I can’t tell you who it would be. But the fall season reminds us that change is not only natural, it is necessary. When we release that fear, we open ourselves up to the direction God would have us go. Not always easy, but so much better to follow His plans than ours. Philippians 4:6 (ESV) says: Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

Falling Leaves and Letting Go - 5 Faith Lessons to Embrace this Fall @DDuPreeWilliams #Writing #EmbracingChange Share on X

COMPARISON

It is so easy to fall into the comparison trap, especially when one sees friends succeed while we work so hard and get none of the recognition they are getting. This is such a dangerous place to be. Do you think those falling leaves compete to see who can hang on the longest, or which one will get to the ground first? How about which one can do it with a beautiful dance in the wind, and which one will just plop? Nope. When those leaves fall, they have fulfilled their purpose, the one God laid out for them.

Each of us has a calling upon our lives, a purpose that is uniquely ours. Do your best to fulfill that purpose. Hebrews 12:1 (ESV) says: Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. Here is one more reminder, from a keynote by the fabulous Eva Marie Everson in her Nehemiah talk – No one can take your place in the wall. The story and the purpose is uniquely yours. If you don’t get it done (or write it), it won’t get done. Go read Nehemiah to get his story and the purpose of each person in it.

BUSYNESS AND DISTRACTION

There are things I need to do that don’t get done because of my distractions or just the busyness of the moment. Those trees that worked so hard during the summer to provide shade to cool us, now need to rest so that they may put forth more leaves in the spring. Nothing gets in the way of their getting the job done for which they were created. In my experience, when I take time to rest in the Lord and refuel with His Word, I get far more done than if I hadn’t taken time to rest. Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith has a wonderful book, Sacred Rest. I highly recommend it. She gave a fabulous keynote based on this book. Matthew 11:28  (ESV) says: Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

DOUBT IN GOD’S TIMING

Oh, how hard it is to wait. Doesn’t matter what it is, waiting is hard. I tell my husband all the time, I don’t wait well. Y’all, I’m not proud of this, but it’s how I’m wired. Here’s the thing. Those leaves don’t have our capacity for impatience. They simply hang on until the appointed time for them to change their colors and eventually fall. When we let go of impatience, we are showing God that we trust His timing and know that there is a season for everything in our lives. He sees our future. Ecclesiastes 3:11 (ESV) says: He has made everything beautiful in its time.  And as Psalm 37:7 (ESV) says: Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him.

Blessings, y’all!