I love to see God change things.
Like many, fall is my favorite time of the year. I love to see the trees transform and the burst of color everywhere. This is a picture of a tree in my front yard taken about a month apart.
Like many, fall is my favorite time of the year. I love to see the trees transform and the burst of color everywhere. This is a picture of a tree in my front yard taken about a month apart.
I don’t know about you, but this causes me to pause. It causes me to praise God for how He changes things like this beautiful, yet ordinary green tree and turn it into something beautiful.
And until yesterday, I have never thought about what makes the leaves change. I watched a quick video and learned some interesting facts. And to sum it up, the main culprit of leaves changing color is due to shorter days. (It also has something to do with photosynthesis and chlorophyll but we aren’t not going there. You’re welcome.) Basically, the trees that are full and green during the long summer days are now faced with shorter daylight hours causing yellow and orange colors, that were there all along to pop out. And those pretty red colors come from colder nights.
And it’s beautiful, isn’t it?
Cold nights and darker days do that. Take that in for a second. Cold nights and darker days do that. They make these ordinary, green leaves change into something beautiful.
Pause. Darker days can be a part of God’s plan to make you beautiful.
I immediately close my eyes and remember. I remember some of my darkest days. Not the hard days without Christ, but those walking with Him. My eyes are closed and I'm remembering season changes and my heart hurts to remember those days. Can you relate? Those days that are darker not because you aren’t in Christ, but because you are. Not because you're disobedient, but because you are obedient. Not because you’ve done wrong but because you’ve done right. Are you with me? There are days that we are hard pressed and shaken. But that causes us to press in. And we press in to what we know and believe. We may be shaken but we are not moved. Not moved because we are rooted. Rooted, yet changed. Changed by the faith we stand on and the promises we cling to in those darker days, not the long, relaxing days of the summer. No, it’s the darker days that cause you to change into what was there all along waiting to burst out. Yes, darker days can be a part of God's plan. For His good. For His glory. For His work that He started in you and He will complete in You.
Is it darker than it has been? Press in, stay rooted. He's making you beautiful.
And until yesterday, I have never thought about what makes the leaves change. I watched a quick video and learned some interesting facts. And to sum it up, the main culprit of leaves changing color is due to shorter days. (It also has something to do with photosynthesis and chlorophyll but we aren’t not going there. You’re welcome.) Basically, the trees that are full and green during the long summer days are now faced with shorter daylight hours causing yellow and orange colors, that were there all along to pop out. And those pretty red colors come from colder nights.
And it’s beautiful, isn’t it?
Cold nights and darker days do that. Take that in for a second. Cold nights and darker days do that. They make these ordinary, green leaves change into something beautiful.
Pause. Darker days can be a part of God’s plan to make you beautiful.
I immediately close my eyes and remember. I remember some of my darkest days. Not the hard days without Christ, but those walking with Him. My eyes are closed and I'm remembering season changes and my heart hurts to remember those days. Can you relate? Those days that are darker not because you aren’t in Christ, but because you are. Not because you're disobedient, but because you are obedient. Not because you’ve done wrong but because you’ve done right. Are you with me? There are days that we are hard pressed and shaken. But that causes us to press in. And we press in to what we know and believe. We may be shaken but we are not moved. Not moved because we are rooted. Rooted, yet changed. Changed by the faith we stand on and the promises we cling to in those darker days, not the long, relaxing days of the summer. No, it’s the darker days that cause you to change into what was there all along waiting to burst out. Yes, darker days can be a part of God's plan. For His good. For His glory. For His work that He started in you and He will complete in You.
Is it darker than it has been? Press in, stay rooted. He's making you beautiful.