The leaves are talking

Fall reminds me of how much God loves us. Think about it. He could have created trees to bear green leaves all year long. He could have made trees bear green leaves and then drop those same green leaves in the fall. He could have simply made evergreens with no leaves at all. But no; God, our amazing Creator, gifted us with an annual fall feast for our eyes. I am looking at that feast as I sit in my cozy family room gazing out our front wall of windows. Even though the day is dreary, rainy and downright nasty, I can’t keep my eyes from soaking in the colored burst of brightness.

Leaves get me thinking about how human life parallels the life cycle of a leaf. Really. No kidding. Allow me some leeway here.  Let’s go back to spring. Spring brings about new life. We wait in anticipation for the buds covering those bare trees to bust out into full foliage. We watch those buds for what seems like weeks until suddenly, almost overnight, the world is green.  Those buds transform into fully developed, mature leaves. Over the summer, we seem to take the leaves for granted. We really don’t notice them until we seek refuge in their shade from the heat of the sun. Then we wait. And wait.  Sometimes we dread the coming change of seasons. Sometimes it just plain sneaks up on us and catches us unaware. Either way, fall is upon us, and with it the beauty of the trees. Some trees display golden leaves. Some show orange. Some carry red. Others simply burn brown. But there is no doubt about it. They are all beautiful. At the end of their stunning display, they shed their leaves to end this cycle of life.

And so it is with humans. Think of a single tree as a couple, man and wife. Yes, God told man to “leave his father and mother and be united with his wife and become one flesh.” (Genesis 2:24). One tree, if you will. After some time, in pregnant anticipation, the couples awaits the birth of children. Babies. The buds. Those babies, in the blink of an eye, almost overnight, grow into adults. Full, mature leaves. For a season, life moves on, seemingly with a sameness, but all the while with a purpose that may go unnoticed. As we age, we bring the world a variety of color in our talent, in our occupation, in our service. The fall season has arrived. If the world pays attention to the wisdom of the aged, they are blessed with an abundance of knowledge. Knowledge of love. Knowledge of life. Knowledge of Jesus. Knowledge of our Savior. One by one, the aged pass into glory. My hope is that you have taken the time to relish in their beauty, in their wisdom and in their love.

The leaves are swept away, but the promise of new life is on the horizon.

Young or old, God tells us we are to listen, to learn and to educate.  From Titus, chapter 2:

2 You, however, must teach what is appropriate to sound doctrine. ² Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance.

³ Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. ⁴ Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, ⁵ to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.

⁶ Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled. ⁷ In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness ⁸ and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.

The leaves are talking. Are you listening?