Welcoming Autumn: The Falling Leaves Season
Cooler temperatures. Pumpkin spice lattes. Well…pumpkin anything! Bonfires. Crisp air. Cozy sweaters. Curled up with a good book.
And the leaves. Miles and miles of leaves. Falling leaves. Dead leaves. Leaves blowing in the wind. Leaves in a pile…and then blowing in the wind. Bagging the leaves and raking again.
ALL.THE.LEAVES. Just so many.
But, before they fall off the tree they can be magnificent in their color.
I am reminded of what a park ranger told me last year. He said that leaves are not really green. You can read the article HERE.
This is an upshot of the article ‘So, plants and their leaves look green because the “special pair” of chlorophyll molecules uses the red end of the visible light spectrum to power reactions inside each cell. The unused green light is reflected from the leaf and we see that light.'
When I heard that – Mind blown! They aren't green. In fact…they are really red, orange, and yellow. The colors that you see in the fall…only they hang on the tree in disguise.
Welcoming Autumn
I used to look at the falling leaves as an end. The end of summer. The end of long days. The end of the leaves.
But now, instead, I am looking at those leaves as a beginning. The beginning of a new season of leaves. Green to the eye ones.
Those red, yellow and orange beauties are actually showing me their true colors. They are going through their own metamorphosis: ‘The leaf changes color because the chlorophyll in the leaf has broken down. This means the plant can no longer photosynthesize to produce the chemicals needed for its survival.
The yellow or brown color remaining comes from other pigment molecules that are within the leaf. These pigments do not absorb sunlight as effectively as chlorophyll.'
Crazy right?!
That non-thinking tree knows that it needs to drop its leaves so it can rest and make new ones. It goes dormant and will spring back into life 6 months from now. And ALL of those leaves will be NEW!
Which leads me to us. You and me.
Am I projecting my true colors? Or do I have something going on that is hiding those colors from the world?
🙋🏻♀️ Do I go ‘dormant'? Do I give my body and mind a chance to renew itself?
🙋🏻♀️ Do I ever prune off ‘the not so good' to make room for more good?
🙋🏻♀️ Do I just let all of the crap and the junk grow and grow so that it crowds out the best of me…and leaves nothing but bitterness, sadness, and irritation behind?
🙋🏻♀️ Do I allow my body to live a joyful and victorious life? Or do I make excuses for my bitterness? My anger? My irritation?
What about you?
Are you hanging onto all of your hurts of the past? All of the hurtful words? Are you allowing the actions of OTHERS to define who you really are?
What if, as you are welcoming autumn, you took a look at you?
What if you grabbed your pruning shears and began to cut off the not so good. Those thoughts, actions, behaviors, and mantras that hold you back from being the best version of yourself?
What if you spent some quiet time with yourself (become dormant) and found the new that could replace the old?
What if, rather than looking back (in that tiny rear view mirror) you spent your time looking forward (into that HUGE windshield)? Because, as you are doing your pruning, when you are looking forward, you will be able to see the potential in you. The you that you were meant to be. Not the you that you have become.
Up until 2 years ago…
I spent every morning reading my Bible and finding out the truths of God – new ones every day. I would drink a pot of tea, read and ponder. I would find the dead and diseased parts of me and either eliminate them or replace them with new sprouts of growth. And I could see the changes in me. Emotional changes.
And, for some reason, I have not been doing that. Well…I know why. Satan has tricked me into believing that I don't need that time with God. That I am ok just the way I am. I need to tell Satan to jump out of the plane without a parachute.
I need that time. I need that quiet time. That alone time. That time that helps me show my true colors. So that I can be dormant for 20 minutes every morning…and renew my mind.
Romans 12:2 – Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God–this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
Those negative thoughts. Those insecurities. That irritation, anger and frustration..those are patterns of the world. I need to be transformed…by renewing my mind!
I urge you (and me) to take a step back and find the joy in your life.
To rise above your circumstances and choose joy…everyday!
What is Joyful Living all about?
Joyful Living is ALL about not letting let the circumstances of YOUR life determine who you really are. You learn to choose YOU instead! Not sure how to do that? Let me help!
To begin, go ahead and read:
3 Financial Mistakes Most Women Make
Looking at Life Through the Lens of God
5 Ways to Get Ahead Financially
must reads
Marriage Killing Money Issues
check 'em out
