Falling into Fall

Pumpkin Spiced Lattes, football, baseball playoff games, and school is now in the middle of it. Fall is a season of change. Change is tough for most people. We don’t like it because it can be painful. Many of us may not see the positive results of change. Sometimes change causes harm into our lives, and we must make decisions that are not always pleasant. In my own life, I have discovered that change has caused me to grow. So, as much as may not like it, change is necessary. It must be in my life. Since change must be in my life, then I must begin to understand how to live with it. 

One way I have survived change is the understanding that it does cause growth. I may not like the change that caused the growth, but I appreciate that I have grown. Growth can be painful. You have to endure the pain as you stretch and grow.  That’s usually the part of change that we hate. It hurts. Many people become discouraged and bitter because of the painful times in life. You must understand that without pain, we don’t grow because most people plateau when life is good and dandy. The only way to endure the pain is to change like the trees during the autumn season. 

During the season of fall, the leaves change colors. I may live in Southern California now, but I have lived in the Midwest, and I remember the beauty of the leaves changing colors. Like the leaves changing colors, I too had to change my color with my own thoughts. I had to let go of the past. I love reminiscing about the good things in the past, but I cannot stay there. I have to create beautiful memories for today. I cannot wallow over the pain others caused me. I must move and not cause other people pain. 

For most of the year, a beautiful oak tree has green leaves. Once the season of fall comes, the leaves change to beautiful colors. Those leaves will fall off the tree, they will not be going back to green. 

In my life, I have to let the past be in the past. I must move forward from it. I was a youth pastor. It was a beautiful time of my life. I cannot go back and do anything differently. I had to take steps forward in my life when that door closed. I cannot complain about the past. My college closed its doors in 2019. I cried, but I knew that I could not just sit in the past. I had to live in the present and connect with my college friends more often in person. I made friends and reconnected with friends online. Now, Christian education for the church must be done differently whether I like it or not. 

I cannot rehash what went wrong in the past. I must make the present more beautiful than the past, just like the leaves on the trees that change colors. You cannot change the past. You can only focus on the present to make the future better. Once you realize that you will grow stronger, and you will begin to see that sometimes, you have to completely let go. 

Like leaves that fall to the ground after they change colors, we must let go of the things that keep us from moving forward. Some of those things may be pride, arrogance, relationships, jobs, or even finances. Whatever you are holding on to that must leave your life, you must let go. Some of the hardest decisions in life are the ones that make us better. We cannot hold onto things or people that destroy us. 

With the weather becoming cooler in the fall, we know we must take precautions against the cold weather and wear sweaters and long pants. It’s not a burden to prepare for the future. It’s a burden when we enter the future unprepared. 

So, begin to prepare for your future as you live in your present life and allow change to come into your life. Our life in Christ is based on change. It’s not just when we come to Jesus, but we must live our lives every day with a changed heart thanks to Jesus changing us. In this season of change, let us enjoy the pumpkin treats, sports, and the changes that come our way with an understanding that we will grow and be better for it.