Autumn is here again!
If my exclamation mark suggests excitement on my part, please interpret with caution!
Those magnificent autumnal hues that prompt me to magnify the Creator, also come along with a drop in temperature which is not my preference. This cooling is, furthermore, accompanied by showers of rain. As the Dutch say, ‘met de herfst komt de regen’. It’s rain and more rain, and then cold rain; and with cold rain, cold wind too.
Do you know that the wind has its place? Shakes off those beautiful coloured bladeren en blaadjes and then the showers make them mushy- not so good in that they get slippery, but God-smart in that they mince to mulch faster.
O what a Great Creator made these all!
While it may not be as sunny warm as during the summertime, oh how amazingly beautiful it is to behold the brown, red, orange and yellow hues – those autumnal shades, ‘fall colors’ if you’re North American. They give a radiant glow reminiscent of sunshiny times even when, as in the photo below, it’s not sunny at all.
Cycles of nature all remind us of the divine precision and seasonal regularity associated with God’s faithfulness. Revolving seasons are testimony to that promise in Genesis 8:22 of all that continues “while the earth remains, seedtime and harvest…”
Just the beautiful browning of the leaves is all about the balance of nature. The tree’s innate mechanism is at work, reabsorbing nutrients from the leaves, and letting tannins out; letting off leaves that it cannot afford to overwinter with. Processes on the inside move in sync with what one sees externally. Nature in unison.
The changing leaf colours tell just a part of the story of nature’s mechanisms for maintaining balance in ecosystems. But keeping the balance is not just nature’s business. Its ours too. Take note that human carelessness has pushed climate change and catapulted us into the climate crisis that COP cannot fix., Human beings have made a mess out of and even brought disorder into the natural order!.
But that’s talk for another post.
In the meantime, enjoy those glorious colours. Indian summer or autumn gold, those Heavenly Hues provide a feast for the eyes.
