“No spring nor summer beauty hath such grace as I have seen in one autumnal face.” – John Donne
Every time a new season rolls around, I am in awe of God’s creation. I love the flowers of spring, the sun and surf of summer, even the blanket of snow in winter. The absolute best, though, is the leaves of fall. Growing up in Ohio, we had maple trees everywhere. It was a treat to travel from Texas to Ohio and get a weekend of fall from time to time.
I don’t have to go to Ohio any more though, because for a few weeks each year our street is absolutely perfect. I just want to sit and stare all around at the gold, orange, and red. It is breathtaking. The first year we lived here, I pulled over coming up the hill to just take it in. I cried about how beautiful it is. God gives us so many gifts. It is worthwhile to stop and enjoy them as often as we can. Otherwise, we might get bogged down in the ugly of the world.
As Christians, we believe in life after death. We don’t know too much about what that will be like. The bible only gives us hints. We know that we will feast and there won’t be any pain or sorrow. That is worth looking forward to.
But our eternal life with Jesus begins at the moment of our baptism. We don’t have to wait until heaven to enjoy God’s gifts. This world does have its share of pain and sorrow, but it also has beauty and flavor and love. We get to choose what we are going to give our attention. And when things are really bad, we can focus on something good to pull us through.
A year ago, when things got really, really hard for my family, I took time each day to give thanks to God for simple things like the smell of cinnamon, the color of the leaves, the feel of hugs. Some days I took walks and paid attention to the wider world, so I wouldn’t be so stuck in my own head. Other times, I laid on the floor and took stock of my limbs, muscles, heartbeat, and breath. When the world becomes overwhelming, the only option is to simplify it – even if only for a few moments.
