Autumn Color

This time of year the leaves of the aspen trees that dominate the Colorado high country near my home change to brilliant gold.
The color lies hidden within the leaf all summer. When shorter days and cooler temperatures cause photosynthesis to cease, the green fades and the underlying color shines through brilliantly.

It is the same in my soul. When the days in my inner world grow shorter, and the green begins to fade, shifting from summer’s bloom to fall’s dying, I am always disappointed. I react as if something unexpected is happening. These difficult seasons are necessary though. They strip away pretense so that the core of my being, the beautiful redeemed part can shine through.

Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” John 12:24


 As winter approaches each year, I like to watch our large maple in the backyard begin to lose its covering of summer green and take on a funereal brown. As the leaves drop, one by one all of the irregularities and defects of the tree are exposed. The imperfections are always there, of course, but they have been hidden from my view by an emerald blanket. Now, however, it is denuded and desolate, and I can see its real condition. Winter preserves and strengthens a tree. Rather than expending its strength on the exterior surface, its sap is forced deeper and deeper into its interior depth. In winter a tougher, more resilient life is firmly established. Winter is necessary for the tree to survive and flourish.  -- Richard Foster, Prayer