“The land is lit with autumn blaze.”
–Helen Hunt Jackson (1830-1885)
I’ve been anticipating these few weeks of October ever since we moved back to the Midwest in June—the gilding on tree-covered hillsides, the crimson coats on sumac trees, and, of course, the swaths of gold and vermilion among the maples.
The trees appear dressed for a grand party!
Indeed, autumn was the season I missed most during our forty years in Florida.
So Friday afternoon I sat on our second-story deck, to observe more closely the magnificent display in our back yard. You see, a shallow woods stands sentry between the houses on our street and the houses behind us. Among the tree-fellows, chestnut, elm, oak, and others stretch their colorful arms heavenward.
But already the trees are beginning to lose their leaves.
Elm leaves somersault while they plummet, flashing sparks of sunlight from their luminous topsides.
Oak leaves drift downward, gracefully zigzagging side to side.
But whether they tumble or drift, the leaves of all deciduous trees will eventually fall, having fulfilled their purpose: photosynthesizing light, absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen.
As human beings, we, too, have purpose to our existence: to live for the praise of God’s glory (Ephesians 1:11). What an honor is ours, to inspire others to give praise to the King of the universe.
And how might we do that?
- Reflect God’s character, like the elm leaves flashing in the sunlight. Wherever we are, whatever we’re doing, we can shine as lights (Matthew 5:14)–offering assistance or a listening ear, being a positive voice and example, exercising self-control and patience.
- Give praise to God at every opportunity. As tree leaves fall, the lacey branches are exposed, all reaching upward toward the sunlight. Our hearts should be raised toward the Light of Life, the Son of God.
(“My lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands” — Psalm 63:3-4)
We can:
- Praise him in the morning for the opportunities of the day ahead.
- Praise him in the afternoon for the blessings and accomplishments already enjoyed.
- Praise him in the evening for his guidance and care throughout the day, his strength for the challenges, and the blessing of rest yet to come.
- Be content (Philippians 4:11). God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in Christ (Ephesians 1:3). Begin to name those blessings and note how your heart begins to swell with elation–blessings like:
- relief of forgiveness
- liberation from guilt
- assurance of hope
- confidence of access to his presence
- certainty of eternal life.
(How long might the list grow if we continued?)
Just as autumn blazes around us, may our hearts blaze to live for the praise of God’s glory!
(Photo credits: www.galleryhip.com; http://www.media-cache-akO.pinimg.com.)
From the Inside Out 
Excellent post, Nancy. Being from Illinois and now living in Texas, I miss the change of season.
Then you understand my joy in experiencing Autumn Blaze again. However, when the bleak, damp days of winter settle in, that joy may deflate a bit!!
Welcome back to the glorious splendor of ‘autumn blaze’! I thoroughly enjoyed your beautiful description of the trees and their correlation to ‘reflecting God’s character’, ‘giving praise to God at every opportunity’, and ‘being content’ (my favorite). A truly inspired posting for today…my 65th (gulp!) birthday. Love to you, Nancy.
How is it possible that we have reached “Senior Citizen” status, my friend? Wasn’t it just a few years ago we were in college?!
I am honored you considered this post an inspired one. Thank you, Cheri, for your precious encouragement.
It is truly unbelievable how very quickly the time has passed since Taylor!
Enjoyed the post Nancy, even though I live here in Florida, I noticed how God does change the leaves and some do drop, however not like Ohio. God is to be praised everyday for all his creations, including us. Miss you, and I will try to keep up with your posts. Would you let Steve know we are having a Legacy Luncheon on Nov. 2nd. Just to keep him updated. God bless you both.
You’re right. Florida does offer seasonal changes; they’re just more subtle! Thank you for your kind words, Laura. P.S. Steve is VERY pleased about the Legacy Luncheon. You and Susan are to be commended for the way you are allowing God to use you in a powerful way!
Nancy, my mother frequently recited a poem that went something like this:
October had a party. The leaves by number came. The chestnuts, oaks and maples, and leaves by every name. Unfortunately, that’s all I remember but I do remember the beautiful array of colors we used to experience when living in Pennsylvania. Thank you for sharing this with us and reminding us of nature– one of many of God’s beautiful gifts to us. Glad you are enjoying them.
Perhaps I heard that poem in my childhood, and the party-part stuck! So glad you enjoyed reminiscing about fall and celebrating the gift of this season–from afar. (At least you won’t have to worry about winter where you are!)
so glad you are getting to enjoy the midwest colors. I think this has been an exceptional year for autumn. Don’t you think the trees love to praise God? lots of lessons there.
Oh, yes. The trees surely love to praise God (Isa. 55:12)!
Nancy, we have our own astonishing ‘Autumn Blaze’ going on here in the Pacific Northwest. I loved your descriptions of the trees and their ‘grand party,’ and tying it into our walk with Jesus.
Thank you, Jody. Heather tells me your fall has been mild and sunny. Too bad we can’t store it up for the rainy days to come. (Actually, gray days have their own charms, don’t they!)