Letting Go

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The fall is such a beautiful season, full of vibrant colors and brisk air. The colorful leaves are an amazing reminder of so many truths.

One reminder in particular stands out to me this morning: In the fall, the trees are "letting go" of the leaves, and only at this point do the leaves turn into a stunning array of fall colors. It is a fantastic reminder of how there is beauty in surrender (see my previous post for more on this topic!). 

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"Where I live, autumn is an incredibly beautiful time of year because trees illustrate how beautiful things can be if they let go of them, speaking of the leaves. The beauty [...] is magnified when we let go of our will and our independence and choose to gel with the life of team ministry." - Jack Hempfling, Before You Go

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Our lives are, in fact, a lot like the life of the tree in the fall. We must surrender, or "let go" of our "leaves," allowing God to turn our lives into things of beauty. What "leaves" in your life do you need to let go of? How can you (in a healthy way) let go of your independence today? Can you turn your "tree" into a tree of ministry? 

Green leaves may be pretty, but God goes beyond the beauty of the summer and brings something even more beautiful as seasons change - if the only the trees "let go" of summertime. The leaves fall, nourish the ground, the trees grow, and the cycle repeats. Growth is a process, and letting go is an essential part of it.  

Letting go of control isn't easy. But, when you give control to the Creator of all things, God, you'll find a place where you can grow into something even more beautiful than you once thought possible.

I love how the Jesus Storybook Bible (by Sally Lloyd Jones) says that God "wrote his message everywhere!" She writes that, "God created everything in his world to reflect him like a mirror - to show us what he is like, to help us know him, to make our hearts sing." 

I see the trees in the fall as a mirror, reflecting a neat part of the story God has written (and is writing) in the world. Beauty out of surrender. Changing colors. Beautiful new seasons. Today I am grateful for the tree, its leaves, and for the reminder to let go. 



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