Autumn is my favorite season.
I don’t like summer, and I look forward to “sweater weather.” As a kid, I eagerly joined in the school clothes-shopping ritual, determined to out-do my classmates with the latest fashions. In the 1980s, the preppie look dominated the halls of my junior and senior high schools, and I rode the peer pressure bandwagon along with everyone else.
Autumn symbolized renewal and rebirth, a respite from a boring, hot summer, a chance to start over and do things right. With new books and a new look, my friends and I resolved to make the grade and rule the school.
I still think that way, but on a more mature level, of course. For me, autumn still symbolizes renewal and rebirth, but it has less to do with outward appearances and more with spiritual growth and what I want to accomplish in my life.
Even as trees shed their dying leaves, harvest season holds the promise of abundance. A seed well-sown can reap the blessing of plenty. As long as we’re alive, the cycle of life continues. (This cycle of life is one reason I don’t understand why people suffer from long-term depression. As long as you’re alive, I used to tell people, you have a chance to improve your life, to start over, to try again.)
We shed our dying ideas and dreams for something new and different. We learn from our mistakes and leave the past behind. We begin again, preparing ourselves for the growing season, sowing our fields and tilling the soil, nurturing an idea or a goal until its time has come to be fulfilled or achieved. That’s an earth-bound harvest. But the spiritual one is much more important.
The Bible speaks of spiritual sowing, reaping, and harvesting. Being born again in Christ is a renewal and rebirth. The “old man” is shed for the “new man” in Christ. God warns us that he “who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.” (Galatians 6: 7-10)
Indeed, the final harvest will take place at Christ’s return. At that time, the earth will be ripe for judgment. What each of us has sown, so shall we reap. (Revelation 14)
God promises that the believer will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Our earthly mandate is to spread the Gospel and make disciples of all men, not just exist, sleepwalking through one season to the next.
Christians, whatever you believe you were called to do and you know you’re not fulfilling that purpose, this autumn season is an opportunity to renew yourselves and claim your spiritual rebirth.
{ 25 comments }
La Shawn:
Thanks for comments.
Here in Shreveport, there isn’t much of a Fall. But now, the evenings are getting colder, the maximum temperature is in the 80’s, so it’s a Fall of sorts. Time for walking outside and thinking a lot. Some cold weather, but not much change in leaves.
I believe I have a religious duty to vote, so that’s what I will do next Tuesday. And I will vote for people who allow others to pursue their religion, not those who would deny this pursuit.
Summers are oppressive, but people get used to it. I drink a lot of water and sweat a lot; kind of messy, but that’s the only way to get around here.
For Fall inspiration, there is NO PLACE like West Virginia. In MA and NY, fall could be sweet – beautiful leaves, but they fell off in a few days. Winter was close.
In W VA, the fall and spring was prolonged. The leaves lingered, and the Spring flowers seemed to linger endlessly. The weather was cold enough the flowers weren’t killed by the heat. Here in Shreveport, the daffodils only last a few weeks.
So I will be inspired for a few weeks of Fall and a few weeks in Spring; you will have longer.
I love fall–it’s my favorite too. But Chicago falls are too short–it’s been 30-something degrees outside.
As a kid, I eagerly joined in the school clothes-shopping ritual, determined to out-do my classmates with the latest fashions. In the 1980s, the preppie look dominated the halls of my junior and senior high schools, and I rode the peer pressure bandwagon along with everyone else.
The good thing about that era was that fashion actually involved being neat (pants fitting and pulled up above the underwear, loafers, shirts often tucked in, etc.)
Thanks for clearing my head. I live in an oak/hickory woods and as I tackle each fallen leaf, I invoke the name of God with more emphasis.
I will mend my self-absorption and turn to thanking God for His bounty. I just wish He would send along a wind to blow them over to the neighbor’s property. Ooops, there I go again.
Thanks, La Shawn. That’s exactly what I needed to hear today.
LaShawn,
Have faith, praise the Lord, I talked with my Bar Counselor friend last night about Nifungu, look for something to happen WITHIN 30 DAYS! Hold on!
Very nice, LaShawn. I’ve always felt the same way about Spring as a time of rebirth, but the potential is there at any time, isn’t it?
Fall is my favorite season as well. I had not considered it a time of re-birth though. Very interesting post La Shawn…and of course a great reminder.
I love “sweater weather” too, but we don’t have many days like that in southern CA. We’re all weather wimps here, to tell you the truth!
I believe our purpose as Christians is to “glorify God and enjoy Him forever,” and your reminder and encouragement to shed our dying ideas is excellent. Our Creator wants us to acknowledge and follow Him and His ways — when we were spiritually dead in our sins we were unable to do that!
Thanks for the lovely and thoughtful devotional to start my day, La Shawn!
Hmmm. I think of the seasons of the year as they correspond with the seasons of life….
Spring is like youth…full of joy, promise and new life
Summer is like adulthood…you get down to work and provide for your family and for the maturity of life. Much pleasure in the fullness of physical prime of life, but much striving because of the demands of family.
Autumn is like the mature years…the children are now well on their way to adulthood, or already there, professional capabilities are at a peak, though reaching an end, and physical prowess is waning, so that while one may enjoy exertion, it’s also nice to sit and watch others do the sweating.
If we’ve been prudent and hardworking, we can begin to use our store of savings, and marshal them so that there’s enough to help our youngsters get along with their battle of life.
Winter is the time of slowing down, considering how we’ve spent our lives and prepare for the end. A time of less physical effort, and more thoughtful effort. Time to consider if our time has been well spent. Maybe, if we’re lucky and in good health, time to do things that maybe we were just too busy to attend to. Time to pass on thoughtful experiences to the next generation – who probably won’t pay much attention until they’re in _their_ autumn or winter.
I prefer spring, but I like fall too. I like the long days of summer, but I really hate being hot. I really really hate waking up hot, but the older I get, the more that happens, and more often than not, it’s just me.
Great post. After yesterday’s storm (lol), this is a welcome break to remind us all of what’s really important.
Very inspirational post, Ms. Barber. I love autumn, but then again I live at the beach in NC. It’s still T-shirt and shorts weather here. The only way you’d know it’s fall is because the trees have started losing their leaves.
I live in So. California where there are few diffences between the seasons. I have nothing to add in that department.
My main purpose in life is to be of service to others.
John
Thanks, LaShawn. That beats politics everyday!
That was classy, even though I’m a Spring fan. I better enjoy this calm before the political storm next week.
What a timely post, La Shawn. The subject of our current Bible study is “Your Divine Design: How to Discover, Develop, and Deploy Spiritual Gifts for Kingdom Impact.” It fits right in with your conclusion.
Anyone interested can find the study notes in PDF format on http://www.walkthru.org by typing “spiritual gifts” into the search field. (Layout of PDF is for regular sheet of paper folded in half like a booklet.)
Enjoy your fall day, everyone!
“This cycle of life is one reason I don’t understand why people suffer from long-term depression. As long as you’re alive, I used to tell people, you have a chance to improve your life, to start over, to try again.”
You can’t improve your life if you have a real, scientifically recognized chemical imbalance in your brain. Serious, long term depression is a very real medical disorder.
Wonderful post except this part:
In prolonged depression, the cause is usually (nearly always?) a chemical imbalance in the brain. Telling a chronically depressed person to cheer up is as useful as ordering an asthmatic to breath better. One of the wonderful parts of living today is not only having some understanding of the body’s chemistry, but also having the ability to do something – even limited – about it.
Fall is my favorite season as well. Amen on the call to spiritual renewal. Out with the “old man” and in with the “new man”.
Wishing you joy and peace.
Fabulous post La Shawn! Inspiring.
Thanks.
That was beautiful. I’ve always loved fall as well. The autumn smell of the leaves is so earthy. Sometimes I think we spend so much time “up in our heads” we forget to connect with the physical world God provided. We’ve been enjoying a pretty nice fall so far in Michigan…but today we got our first snow.
I love this post. This may be my all-time favorite ‘La Shawn’ post.
It’s nice to have a ‘time-out’ from election overload.
I found this post to be lyrical, meditative, calming—and we all need that.
Isn’t it interesting how Autumn brings out the poet in some people?
Autumn really equals a maturity. You can sit back and reflect on the fruits of your labor—all your efforts all year long that have now, hopefully, “harvested” or come to fruition.
And yet it’s not to late “The Vineyard” (is that Matthew 20?) to still achieve last minute goals.
The clarity and crispness of this season.
I was kind of in tears reading your post, La Shawn.
Is that sappy?
Beautiful post La Shawn. It’s Spring here – I always think of rebirth in Spring (lots of cute lambs leaping about).
I dont get u Lashawn..
you dont like summer and you are from the south…
Summer’s the best part!!
cookouts and the beach, my faves..
Autumn is the time of year that scares the enviromentalists wackos becuase they can hear the screams of falling leaves and they hide away when kids walk on the leaves becuase they are certain the leaves are screaming when stepped on or burned.
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