AUTUMN BRINGS CHANGE

I love everything about the season of autumn. The change in the weather and colors of the leaves brings me great joy. I love to walk on a dirt road in the mountains and hear the crunch of the dried up leaves that lie beneath my shoes. It brings me a lot of joy to wear layers of clothing on a cool day. Change is great…or is it?

I dare to say that our lives are more fragile than each of us probably realizes or truthfully admits. If we are honest with ourselves, we feel confidently secure that when we lay our head on our pillow at night, we will awaken to face another day. We do our best to control the variables in our lives with the hope that we can control our fitness level and health and even avoid obvious risky behaviors. But the truth of the matter is that we are all on borrowed time. If we take time to read the Bible, we are reminded that life this side of heaven is fleeting, even transient. And, if our lives are transient and the things of this world are transient, I sure do want to find something to anchor my soul that does not change and is not transient. First Peter 1:24–25 points me to the unchangeable:

“For all flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers and the flower falls off, but the word of the Lord abides forever.’”

The word abide used in this verse is the Greek word meno, which means “to remain, endure, stand firm, to last.” The Word of the Lord, the Bible, remains through all things, endures through all times, stands firm against all circumstances, and will be lasting even until Christ’s return for His people.

What would our lives look like if we truly lived with our life’s brevity at the forefront of our mind? Would we pursue the temporary, or would we pursue the eternal? I hope my answer is the latter. This life is not about me. This life is about living for the One who sacrificed it all on the cross. I owe Him my life, and it is for Him that I desire to live. I encourage you to do the same. Embrace the changes that are both physical and spiritual. Notice the way God changes the leaves on the trees from green to brilliant yellows, oranges and reds. Love the way God brings change into your heart, and accept the challenge of that change that is set before you this day.

I am grateful that the seasons change in our earthly world and in our lives. However, I’m more grateful that the Lord never changes. He is our one constant and our one security in this life. Enjoy this autumn season, and spend time with our God who is always with us.

Hebrews 13:5b

For He, Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”