From Autumn to Fall

We are now in the season that most call fall. Our calendars have told us it’s fall. Nature has told us the fall season has begun (even if it’s still extremely warm where you are), and there is evidence in our natural world around us. I thought it was interesting as I began to look for a difference between the term “fall” and the term “autumn” that their origins both go back centuries and hold slightly different meanings based on location. Though it may be a preference for some which term they use, everyone will agree that they both represent a time of year where a change is underway.

The term autumn signifies a season of harvest, or a time of gathering a mature crop from seeds planted in a previous season. It’s a time of gathering, a time of bringing in to examine what has grown in the field. It is marked by a sense of slowing down the pace or rhythm of movement. There are changes all around as this happens. In the natural world around us, leaves begin to change color as a result of dimming sun rays. See when the sun is out bright and glaring it helps trees to produce chlorophyll which gives leaves their green color (part of the photosynthesis process that is vital to the earth). When there is not as much sunlight in the sky, trees stop producing as much chlorophyll and the other colors of leaves push through. Interestingly, those other colors are always present in the leaves even in other seasons, but because there is no slowing down or interruption of the cycle of photosynthesis, those colors don’t have a chance to be seen at any other time of the year. And as the autumn season moves forward, the leaves begin to “fall.” This is a characteristic of the autumn season – the falling of leaves (in this regards, fall happens during harvest). The old is giving way to the new in preparation for the next season. When we study Genesis 8:22, we see that God is assuring that the seasons will continue to bring needed change as long as the earth remains. If we look at our lives, we will see that He does the same with us throughout our lives. Seasons come and seasons go and change continues to happen. What is hidden in one season is exposed or breaks through in another season.

When we think about the order that God has set in nature, we should really wonder how much more He expects us to follow this pattern of slowing down for a season to reflect on what has been gathered in as our harvest. Doing this consistently would give us a chance to observe the plans of God. We would notice that fall rests between the hot, humid season of summer and the cold, dry season of winter. We would give time for reflection of the challenges we faced in the previous season and would allow ourselves to recognize our harvest as we prepare to head into the next season to face its challenges. Fall really is a season of endurance. It is a prescribed time to sit in the presence of the Lord, to study His Word more, to receive His instructions for the days ahead, and to allow the old, dead things that had been camouflaged, yet served a purpose, in the previous season to fall away.