Fall Colors

It's finally starting to feel like Fall. The leaves are turning colors and if you get up early enough in the morning, there is a crispness to the air. Between the vibrant colors, the delicious smells, and the way the air seems to gain an added measure of freshness makes this, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful times of the year.

As I was driving around Northern Colorado today across the front range, I was thinking about the awe and majesty of it all. I started thinking about the early mornings when I wake up to go for work, before the sun even begins to shine. The colors aren't vibrant but instead dull shades of gray and black. The smells of fall are absent except for the exhaust from cars passing by on the road. Even the air is more than crisp--almost solid from the chill temperatures.

Despite all that, I still know what the trees will look like in a little bit when the sun climbs over the horizon. I know what wonderful scents will flirt with my nostrils and that the crispness of the air will again offer me the feeling of being alive!

As I was driving earlier today, the sun had already been out for hours so the colors and smells were abundant. I began to look closer at the different shades in the trees as the greens were turning into yellows, and the yellows into reds. As I examined the branches though, I realized that many of the trees had the three colors all going on at the same time. The outermost leaves had gone through the cycle to become a dark red but the inner leaves were still a pale green.

I thought about this more and started to notice similarities with life.

Naturally, people have trouble with change. They (myself included) try to hold on to the familiar as long as possible, keeping objects and situations as close as possible to avoid any interferences. These are the green leaves--the leaves that are sheltered close to the trunk. The shade from the outer branches don't allow the sun to seep through and start the color changing process.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, the red leaves are those that stretch up to the sun. These are the furthest from the center, and it makes me start to wonder about letting go of the familiar and letting the Son do it's job.

The conflict within one of these multicolored trees makes me think about my life right now. It's hard to let go of being in control all the time, but I need to just trust that things can take of themselves if I give them the chance to work out the way they naturally should.