Fall Reminds me....

Fall reminds me- God is great.

I love the mountains especially in the fall. After a conference one year, my husband and I took an extra day to visit Cades Cove, Tennessee. I’ll never forget the majesty I saw. The mountains were painted like a master artist would paint a canvas. In some spots along the road, we saw quiet green valleys with mountainous backdrops painted ruby red, emerald green and vibrant orange. Along other spots tree limbs sprawled over the busy highway to make a rich yellow canopy. The leaves floated down like golden parachutes.

 The beauty was overwhelming! Here and there you could spot the black, slick face of the rocks protruding from the grove of lush trees. Even on the slick rocks, where there was insufficient soil for trees to take root, ferns and grasses grew in tiny cracks. Some trees were almost naked, with only a single leaf clinging to a dozen or so limbs. The golden leaves looked like tiny stars on the ends of the tree limbs.

 Herds of deer, almost as numerous as cattle, grazed in the pastures. We counted 25 in one field, five in another, and more in every field we passed until we were tired of searching and counting. Wild turkeys strutted across the field looking for breakfast. Orbital spider webs, kissed with the morning dew sparkled like diamonds in the sunlight. We crunched crisp golden apples gathered fresh from a nearby orchard.

 And the sounds were too wonderful to describe. The dry leaves danced across the pavement to the tune of the water’s song as it bubbled over the rocks and down the river.

 

 As we turned a curve, and started into still another incredible view, “How Great Thou Art” began to play on the radio. My heart began to sing with the music. “Oh, God! How Great Thou Art!”  Our God is great and He is good.

 Fall reminds me: God has a plan.

Fall is not an evolutionary process. Fall is God’s workmanship, it is God’s plan. God’s plan was better than painting the hillside. That would be a one time thing, but in God’s divine plan He put the genetic code in the deciduous trees that EVERY YEAR this scene is repeated. Even the smallest seedling had leaves in hues of vibrant red, glorious yellow and tangerine. The seasons are God’s idea.

Fall reminds: me to be still and worship.

 

 I wonder how many people drive that route on a regular basis and miss God’s glory. In our hustle and bustle we often miss God’s call to enjoy Him. As my eyes and ears drank in the beauty, my heart was singing praises to God. God did all this. God painted this view with leaves to say “I love you. I want to give you joy. I want to give you peace.” Sometimes, we need to just get still and remember God is awesome. God made the fall for your enjoyment. God made the whole earth for mankind.

 Fall reminds me the best things in life really are free.

And it was just as beautiful outside the park. Mile after mile we drove. Through Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg where shoppers and tourist scurried like squirrels hunting bargains, but we were enjoying the wonders of God’s creation. Across I-40 and down I-26, mile after mile we drank in the wonders of God’s amazing masterpiece-Fall. The view was free. It didn’t cost a single thing to look out the window and enjoy the wonders of God’s handiwork. I was reminded that God has so many free blessings He wants to give His children. Wonderful blessings of hope and peace and joy that only come as we really get to know God. Don’t miss what God has for you. You’ll never know what you missed if you fail to behold His face through prayer and Bible study.

 Fall reminds me to get ready for winter.

Rolls of hay lined the fields. The apples, the last crop to be harvested in this mountain area, were being sorted on conveyer belts and packaged for roadside sales and shipping to stores. They were preparing for the hard winter that was sure to come.

Jesus warned us that in this world we would have trouble. That’s not negative; it’s just a fact. Are we preparing children for winter times of testing that is sure to come? Life isn’t always easy. If all we do is have fun, then we are not preparing them for winter. If we don’t help children hide God’s Word in their hearts they won’t be prepared when the storms come. God’s Word brings strength and stability in troubled times.

 

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