This time of year can be so beautiful. When I look around and see the beautiful colors, I smile on the inside. The air is getting cooler, and the breeze is blowing. What makes the beautiful colors? The leaves are dying. They are going to fall off the trees and become a blanket of color on the ground. Have you ever noticed that some leaves are prettier than others? Some leaves just turn an ugly brown before they fall off the trees. Why is that?
In my reading I found that the colors are in the leaves, we just can’t see them. The deep green color of chlorophyll hides any other colors present in the leaves. The leaves are getting the sunlight and water that they need in the long days of summer. When the days get shorter and the nights get colder, the leaves start to change colors. In the reading, it explains why some leaves turn brown, some have beautiful oranges and yellows, and others skip the orange and yellow and go straight to red. Our Lord designed it all to be based on the weather and the length of the days.
I found that intriguing. People are that way, too. The weather of their lives tends to dictate who they are. We are a roller coaster of our emotions allowing the twists and turns of life to control us. If we are Christians, we know the One who controls the weather. Nothing that comes our way is too big for us to handle. We often forget that so many times. Yes, I am guilty, too.
In our day to day life, there is no reason we can’t be beautiful. Now I know some of us need more help than others if we are talking about the outer shell, but I am referring to the heart. What makes the leaves turn brown? When we have a cold snap, the leaves quickly turn brown and die. When we become cold and calloused, our hearts die on the inside. How do we keep that from happening?
My husband has often said that you will be the same type of old person as you are as a young person, times ten. So that means if you are a grump now, you will be ten times as grumpy when you get old. I would fix that if I were you. No one wants to be around a young grump much less an old one. Shouldn’t we allow God to fix this and the other sins in our lives before we add any more years to our lives?
Take a look in the mirror. I don’t want us to look to see if every hair is in place, but take a look in God’s mirror. We always know what others need to fix, but we seldom work on ourselves. As we look in His mirror, take notes on the things we need to fix. What is blocking the Son-light and turning our hearts brown?
If we let it, our world can make us cynical. Everywhere we look we see evil and depravity. We are fearful for our children and their futures. We are fearful for our country because we see it going down the tubes. We are fearful for our churches because we see them becoming more and more like the world. We are fearful for so many reasons. Fear is blocking out the Son-light.
We tend to forget that nothing catches our Lord by surprise. He is ready for anything that comes our way. Our Heavenly Father expects us to stand for Him. He expects us to make a difference. When evil legislation comes our way, He wants us to fight it. Our Lord expects us to conquer our fear and let Him lead us into battle. That does not mean we won’t be afraid, but fear will not control us. He will.
In the meantime, we must love others more than ourselves. I don’t know about you, but when I look around I don’t see much love. Now, don’t get me wrong, I see love among family members and love for friends. But do you see much unconditional love? Do you see a concern for souls? Do you see love that is totally unselfish? “Selfish love” blocks out the Son-light.
We might say, “I love my children.” But do you? Do you put their needs, not wants, above yours at all times? It is easy to say we love our children more than ourselves but that is not always true. We may love them at certain times more than ourselves, but when it is truly inconvenient do we really? Our children need parents who put God first in their lives. They need friends to cry and laugh with; parents to discipline, encourage, and teach; and providers to take care of their needs. Please don’t buy them things all of the time. They need someone to tell them “no”, and to do it with love. Every time our Heavenly Father tells us “no” it is out of a deep love for us. When He disciplines and when He gives gifts, He shows love.
Do we truly love our spouses? Do we encourage them and build them up? Do we put their needs above our own? I do not see this very often. People talk about children being spoiled, but most people are truly spoiled. We see what is wrong with our spouses, but we truly have trouble looking into God’s mirror. How dare you correct me or question my decisions? Don’t you dare ask me what I was doing? God’s intention for marriage is that two people are working on the same team to make things work as He intended. Unfortunately, many marriages seem as if they are on opposite teams with the only thing they have in common being their children. Married couples need to be on the same team working towards a common goal, marriages that honor God.
When we look into the mirror of our hearts, we need to decide to look for the good in not only our spouses and our children but every area of life. I don’t mean we should be blind to the world around us, but we need to look for life in the trenches. If we look at the glass half-empty, we will constantly be depressed. When you start thinking critically of someone or something, think of the good things first. Some things may need to be addressed, but do it in a positive way. When something is bothering me, I ask myself, “Is this really important. Is this worth discussing?” Many times I will decide it is no big deal. I use this with my family, friends, and co-workers. If it is important, I try to pray over it and give it the attention it deserves. I know I fail in this area sometimes as well, but looking for life is the only way I can continue doing what I am doing. I have to look for the good in people. When we constantly have a critical spirit and look for death, we are blocking the Son-light from our hearts.
From the beginning of time, God looked down and saw good. When He created man, the Bible says that He saw that it was good. When man sinned, God felt man was worth saving. His great love paid the price for the wickedness of our hearts. He wanted us to be able to have His Son live in our hearts and become the light of our lives. Don’t we need to look around us and spread the Son-light? Our Father gave everything for us, it is the least we can do for Him!
Mrs. Worthington has five children and eleven grandchildren. She serves as Principal of Pathway Christian Academy in Goldsboro.