Autumn

Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for Him to act. Psalm 37:7

The Bible repeatedly reminds us to give thanks and pray instead of worrying or being anxious. Unfortunately, that goes completely against my natural inclination, and I often do the latter instead of the former. Worry gets me absolutely nowhere, but I can easily spend hours and hours dwelling on a certain fear or uncertainty and making it into a much larger problem than it was ever intended to be. It makes me want to slap myself for being so dumb, but then I'd probably just worry about that too.

I don't know what the weather is like where you are right now, but it is absolutely lovely here. While we are not far enough north to get the full effect of autumnal magic, several of our trees are covered in leaves in delightful shades of gold and amber. My favorite part of the day is when the sun hits them just right and makes them seem to shine, especially when a little breeze makes a few of them gracefully flutter to the pile of their friends already on the ground. Its silent beauty is powerful and makes my breath stop short in my throat.

All this fall beauty reminds me of the story of Elijah in 1 Kings 19, when God was not in the mighty windstorm, earthquake, or fire but in the sound of a gentle whisper. While a fluttering leaf is not as impressive as a crash of thunder or a wave slapping the shore, there is beauty in its calm. Even though most of us are in the habit of being busy and trying to pack our schedules with productivity and to do lists, I think we all just really want to have peace. To let out a contented sigh as we watch a fire crackling in the fireplace or a gentle ripple on the surface of a lake. I believe that is what God wants for us too, otherwise He wouldn't tell us to sit still and be quiet so much. No wonder we feel so frazzled and overwhelmed all the time!

So even though the holidays often come with tighter schedules, slimmer bank accounts, and longer to-do lists, this is the perfect time of year to stop and reflect on what a glorious King we serve.