Fall can be a time of purposeful labor. There is much to be done, whether harvesting fields, putting gardens to bed, raking leaves, installing storm windows, stacking firewood, cleaning gutters, mending fences, closing down vacation homes or keeping up with homework. Where the climate is harsh, there can be great urgency to finish outdoor seasonal chores and maintain houses, barns, cars and various kinds of equipment before winter.
The seasonal change from Daylight Savings Time to Standard Time exhorts most of us to “fall back,” but we are always moving forward. No matter how often we adjust our clocks, time still moves ahead. The changing seasons do not wait for us to get ready. Leaves that are here today may be gone tomorrow. The birds flying overhead in their V-formation or resting in the nearby field will not be back for months. We are a people on the move, migrating toward a future that God is unfolding for us. Sometimes we resist change and try to cling to seasons past, but we are still being carried forward by the ever-moving stream of God’s unfailing love and timeless mercy.
This message is excerpted from “Lessons from fall” by Julie A. Kanarr in the September 2016 Gather magazine.
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