Nature's Transitions

The beauty and transitions of Fall make it my favorite time of the year. The cooler temperatures, the kaleidoscope of nature's colors and the falling leaves all bring on a sense of nostalgia for me. Not necessarily a sad nostalgia, but a very thoughtful time indeed.

As I look back over the years and think about all the transitions in my own life, I see that most of them fit the old cliche that there's always a silver lining behind the cloud. While many of life's transitions deal with loss in the same way that the trees lose their leaves, think of these transitions as a preparation for something better. The leaves fall from the trees, leaving the branches looking sad and barren, but come Spring, there will be a rebirth of new growth everywhere.

If we can look beyond the moment, we will be able to recognize the fact that each change and each transition in our life has a reason, and sometimes a very pleasant consequence if we can just hang in there and ride it through. The pleasant consequences may be nothing more than a valuable lesson learned, but it's a consequence that can positively affect the rest of our life.

I sometimes have to remind myself that like the song says, "the God of the mountain is still God in the valley!" Whether I recognized it at the time or not, God has been with me through each transition of my life - both difficult and good - just like He oversees the transitions in nature. The difference though, is that God considers us to be much more important than the things in nature. What a wonderful blessing is God's love and care for us through all the transitions of our lives!

Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Matthew 6:26