Miraculous Autumn Leaves: Time Will Reveal

About a week ago, upon returning home from an appointment, I took notice of an aisle of trees overhanging and lining my journey down the steep, hill-like avenue. The trees were decorated in bold, beautiful, and breath-taking blends of autumn colors. It was a magnificent sight that was quite difficult for anyone to ignore or to even overlook. But my question in all that I viewed was...When did this all happen? When did you change?

It seemed like it had only been at least 5 days or so earlier when I'd left the house on an errand. And I know what was clear to me about that day: The leaves had been green and the trees had seemed camouflaged and unnoticeable amongst the scenery of the neighborhood. So when did this happen? And how is it that overnight, in an instant, and in a blink of my eyes, ordinary leaves transformed into an astounding, technicolored masterpiece?

As I gazed out the car window and enjoyed the surrounding beauty, I could not help but to think of God and how he is not just able to work such wonders and miracles in nature with these trees and its leaves, but is also able to in our lives. I thought about how his sovereignty can reach down into our lives, and IN AN INSTANT, or in a blink of our eyes, he can turn the tables and deliver us from our trials or pit-like situations. Just as quickly as he sat up, spoke to the wind, and the storm CEASED, he can also change our situations before our eyes and CEASE our storms, INSTANTANEOUSLY!

But it doesn't end there, folks...The beauty and the mystery of these changed leaves also caused me to go a bit deeper and make another mental correlation between the autumn leaves and our intercessory prayers. Have you ever fervently prayed for a spouse, parent, child, grandchild, sibling, or close friend to change a habit, way of life, or negative character trait? Well...have you even prayed, waited, prayed some more, and waited some more, finally starting to possibly question if there was ever going to be any hope or change in that individual? Maybe you've been praying daily for your grandchild to do better in school, your mother to stop judging you, your husband to be more affectionate, your son to stop smoking marijuana, your best friend to keep your secrets and to stop gossiping, your sister to be saved, or your ex-wife to let go of years of bitterness... the list could go on and on. In the natural, nothing appears to have changed about this person or their way of living. It can be disheartening and frustrating for you. What you are SEEING makes you weary and may even cause you to want to give up your prayer efforts.

But DON'T!!!

Because, you see, your prayers and the people that you are interceding for are just like the leaves on the trees. To our human eyes, we see green leaves... everyday green leaves, same ole', same ole'. But what we may not be aware of is that during the season before autumn, within each leaf a change is taking place, as something referred to as a "disk of cork cells", is growing up the petiole of the leaf. During the Fall, the continued growth of these cork cells blocks the food making process and vein system. Which as a result, also blocks the green pigmentation (from chlorophyll) from being able radiate its color, and in turn allows the beautiful colors that had been hidden in the leaf (all along) to FINALLY be revealed. In this same way, God is secretly and privately working on the inside of our loved ones, as a result of our prayers. As we cannot see the results of cork cells growing up within the leaf (until the proper season when the leaves will instantaneously turn colors), we also may not see the results of our fervent prayers, immediately.

However, we can be CONFIDENT of this, that he who began a good work in us will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. And we must also be encouraged not to give up on our prayers of intercession, for as Christians, we are called to walk by faith and not by what our human eyes see on a daily basis.

So my friends, I leave you with this...There is a time for everything and a season for everything here on Earth. Be blessed to know that this IS an Autumn season for your prayers and loved ones. Autumn means "maturity" in Latin and symbolizes the harvest season; and according to the dictionary's definition of "harvest", it is the result or consequence of an activity. So...One day soon, you may find that you will look up and view a magnificent sight before your very eyes-YOUR MATURED & CHANGED LOVE ONE- as the result and consequence of your activity of continued prayer and faithfulness. YOUR AUTUMN...YOUR HARVEST TIME!

BE STRONG! STAY ENCOURAGED! KEEP THE FAITH.

P.S.- Just as I completed writing these reflections, I could here my brother's CD player playing in the distance. When I concentrated to distinguish the sound from all the chaos around me, I realized that the song, Time Will Reveal (an 80's hit by the group DeBarge), was playing. How fitting & appropriate! Thus...the addition to my blog title. My God has humor!