Dr Lizette Mobey
Today marks the change of a season, the beginning of autumn. Autumn is a season of wind, falling leaves and a deepening of colours. It is also an in-between season – the season following the warmth of summer and preceding the cold of winter.
We often find ourselves in an in-between season. An in-between season is often uncomfortable because we have “left” but not yet ‘arrived” and we are aware that before arrival there is still a winter season. How to navigate an in-between season? Let us look at three of the characteristics of this season: Wind, falling leaves and deepening of colours.
1. Wind is an invisible force that we can’t see but can experience. It stirs up dust and blows away impurities. The Bible links wind with the breath of God. In Hebrew, the word for breath is ruah which can also mean wind. The implication is that God stirred life within man with His breath/wind. Ezekiel 37:9 reads “‘Come from the four winds, Breath, and breathe on these people who were killed so that they will live.’
Where do you need God to stir live in your in-between season? Allow in this in-between time to allow God to blow away your confusion, false beliefs, identities and maybe even wrong directions.
2. Falling leaves. This is also a symbol of letting go. Trees do spend energy to hold on to the leaves that no longer serve a purpose. Paul writes powerfully in 1 Corinthians 9:26 “Therefore I do not run aimlessly; I do not fight like I am beating the air.” How often in our in-between seasons do we not experience this aimlessness, this beating of the air? We try to hold on to what we had instead of surrendering our ‘falling leaves’ into the hand of God and choosing to trust Him when it seems that we are being stripped bare. We need to remember that the weight that is slowing us down is being removed, and like a tree that surrenders its leaves to the wind, we are being freed to put our energy into root growth. This helps us to withstand the trials and temptations of life.
3. Deepening of colour. Autumn is announced almost formally by the change of leaf colours. The leaf’s colour changes because sunlight is less, and not enough chlorophyll is produced by the leaves. As the green diminishes other colours that are also present in the leaf are unmasked. This brings forward the question, of what is hidden in my heart. Will I deepen in colour richness when I face a change in my environment? Does it seem that anxiety and worry are taking over my life? Does it feel that fear shadows our life? Does the harshness and unkindness of your environment rob you of your joy?
In the Words of the Message Bible “Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colours in the world.” Matthew 5:14. Let us deepen in this in-between season to show God’s colours to the world.
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