Fall has taken longer than usual to arrive this year, but that just makes me appreciate the beauty of the day and the glorious weather that much more. The skies – clear, cloudless, and blue – are decorated at the moment by a flock of noisy birds flying overhead, trying to leave the area before cold weather sets in. I wonder how they know it is time to leave, since the cooler temperatures only just arrived in the last day or so.
All of nature seems to know that change is coming, and there are rituals to be performed to prepare. Just as older people sense their humanity and frailties, the trees, grasses, and flowers seem to sense winter’s approach. I wonder: Do they also know they will be renewed in time?
Seeing the way things happen on God’s schedule year after year renews me too. I will try to recognize and act upon life accordingly. In all this beauty, I can see that God is faithful and good.
This message is excerpted from “On God’s schedule” by Ruby Kelly in the November 2020 Gather magazine.
Copyright © 2023 Women of the ELCA. Inquiries for permission to reproduce should be directed to [email protected].