As leaf-peeping season winds its way across the country, tourists drive the highways in search of brilliant hues of red, orange, and yellow. Photos shared on Facebook and other social media, as colorful as they are, rarely do justice to reality. We are reminded again of God’s graciousness in providing such gorgeous scenery for us to enjoy.
Yet when we look at the process scientifically, we
learn that the autumn colors only appear when the trees’ production of chlorophyll slows and stops. This happens because the flow of nutrients from the tree to the leaves is cut off. In other words, the leaves must die to reveal the beautiful colors.
Likewise, it was Jesus’ death that gave way to the beauty of His resurrection. And in Romans, we are told that new life is available to us when His Spirit lives in us: “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.” Romans 8:11 ESV #NamesofGod #CharacterofGod
You might compare autumn to the “death” of our old nature (like chlorophyll in plants), which then allows God’s beauty to show through.[Tweet “#Death allows God’s #beauty to show thru. #CharacterofGod”]
When you are out leaf-peeping this autumn, dwell on this glorious fact: God raised Christ from the dead, and His Spirit gives us new life. But we must be willing to let our old nature die so that we can enjoy the beauty Jesus can make of our life.
