Fall…When Colors Change

Fall season is my favorite. The weather is near perfect on most days, the leaves are changing colors, the ground is full of dropping leaves, the trees are laid bare. It is a season to enjoy some of the best of what nature has to offer. It is harvest season for most, a time to enjoy the fruit of our labor, and a time to savor the freshness of the air.

In spiritual terms, the fall season is when parts of our lives come to fruition. Things we’ve been working on long and hard begin to bear fruit. As we enjoy the fruit of our labor, we’re also being pruned in preparation for the coming winter. Without the fruit being picked, we will die because we’re not designed, just like natural plants, to carry the weight of ripened fruit. Without being pruned, we will not survive the winter or bear more fruit.

When a Christian reaches the fall season of their lives, I believe the most important thing to remember is to be grateful for the fruit and to always remember that the harvest belongs to the Lord. We play a part in carrying what’s His and we are therefore co-laborers in the Lord’s vineyard. What a privilege.

At several points in my life, I have asked God to help me bear more fruit. Every time I’ve prayed this prayer, I’ve experienced His expansion on the inside and fruit showing up in my life in the most unexpected ways. At the end of each such seasons, I’ve always gone back to the drawing board and asked God for what’s next. He never fails to prune and then grow more and I’ve grown fond of the process…even when I don’t understand it.

In our fall season, we also need to remember that He is the vineyard keeper who wants us to bear much fruit and then be pruned so we can bear more fruit in the season to come. He determines who gets what and as a vineyard keeper, He knows us better than we know ourselves. I mean, He knows the number of hairs on our heads and none drops without His knowledge! Fall is a wonderful season. While the leaves (our previous source of nourishment and enrichment) are turning color and starting to drop off (being pruned), we must find hope in knowing that it’s just a season.

The natural seasons describe the spiritual seasons and help us understand how to view God and His sovereignty at work in our lives. Enjoy the good of each season and endure the hardship each season may bring with it, waiting in joyful hope for what’s next.