This Fall Challenge
Fall is beautiful over here in the Carolinas. The air has turned crisp and the leaves dance on their way down from the treetops. Carolina blue dominates the sky’s color and the tree foliage against it takes my breath away. Beautiful.
I love this time of year—the colors, the pumpkins, the decorations, the cool nights, the chili, the hot chocolate with whip cream, and the change in the air. That’s it. I enjoy the change. It’s invigorating. It’s refreshing. It’s inspiring.
This season has me thinking about change more personally than usual. Traditionally people think about change when the New Year rolls around. And I believe that is a good habit in light of Psalm 90:12.
This year I see the Fall in all its splendor and I cannot escape the beauty of change. I cannot help but long for that beauty in my own life. As a matter of fact, I need to make some changes. There are some areas in my life that have become over grown. Some activities need pruning. Some sections are past their prime. And some beds need to be completely tilled under.
Conversely, there are some areas of my life that need replanting. Schedules need to be reworked. Ministries need to be expanded. Relationships need to be fertilized. There are some issues that need my attention, and some patterns that I need to change.
Truthfully I’ve been putting some of it off. I’ve known I needed to do something, but it just seems like so much to take on. I avoided and ignored facing the tough issues. I even busied myself with other stuff, distracted myself, hoping it would go away on its own or maybe not be so bad when I saw it again. But now the time has come.
How about you? As the fall blows in, do you sense the winds of change? Do you feel the Spirit’s movement in your heart, in your mind? Have you been made aware of some priorities or positions that need your attention? Are there some changes you know you need to make? You’re not alone.
Speaking of change, our God doesn’t. Scripture reassures me that “He is the same, yesterday, today and forever.” He doesn’t change because He is holy and perfect. He is my Rock. He is my Maker. He is the Master Potter. So even though He does not change, He is constantly working to mold us into the image of His Son.
Being transformed into the image of Christ is the desire of my heart. Truly I want that for my life. The problem is that I want it without the change. I know change is a painful process. Inherent in change is pain. I know that it will be painful as He molds and shapes me into the likeness of His Son.
But this season it seems that God is romancing me, wooing me with the beauty and potential of change. It is as though He wants to prove to me that there is beauty that can only be revealed at the end of some seasons, some ministries, some relationships, or some responsibilities. Change doesn’t have to be my enemy or even something I dread. In fact I could choose to anticipate it like the red, orange, yellow, and purple leaves of autumn. Like the crisp air and the Indian corn and hay bales and leaf piles, I can choose to celebrate change.
What if you and I took some time just for introspection? What if we find some quiet time and curl up with our favorite beverage and consider a change? What if we choose against the status quo? Let’s stop avoiding the issues and put our face to the wind. I dare you to do some self-evaluation as we approach the holiday season.
This Season’s Challenge:
Take some time and pray. Ask God to show you any changes you need to make, anything He is asking you to prune, give up, plant, or cultivate. You must remember He wants you to grow. So He will surely show you the way.
Dare to write it down. List the issues that need your attention, the changes you believe God is desiring you to make—not with your own strength, but with His.
Dare to let Him change you. As you lift up your hands in praise to Him, anticipate the transformation He has planned for your life.
Pray for each other. Ask Him to grant you a desire for His pruning, His watering, His weeding, His cultivating. Pray that you will determine to trust Him.
As we enjoy this fall season and the beauty of the change, let us fall on our knees and submit to His transforming power as He works to change us into the image of His Son.
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