2 Timothy 4:2
Winter is coming. Just a few more turns of the earth; a miniscule tilt of its axis causing the sun to ride lower in the heavens.
The trees are preparing for their slumber as the sap that gives them life slows in the cooling air. They have changed their dress. Green leaves that once adorned their skirts turn to vibrant hues of yellow, orange, and red. Soon they will stand bare in the crisp fall air, awaiting the blanket of heavy snow that will cover their nakedness.
The wild meadow grasses that grow beneath the forest’s feet have dropped their seeds to the earth below. Their once verdant crowns, burdened and leaning with life, now stand brittle and stripped. They will lie down on the wintry earth that encases their tender roots and patiently wait for life’s renewal.
The squirrels are busily gathering. The fox is donning his heavy winter coat and fat bushy tail to wrap around his nose and protect it from winter’s frost. And the birds have been teaching their fledglings the heavenly patterns of migration in the brilliant autumn sky. Calling back and forth to each other, their voices echo between the mountains. Those that stay behind are feeding to fatten themselves on the fruits of summer for the harsh mountain winter that lies ahead.
All of life is preparing for the coming change of season. There is a mechanism installed in each of God’s creatures to prepare as one season passes to another. Man is no different than the lesser creatures. He has been given the ability to recognize when to toil, when to sow, when to tend, and when to reap. If he is awake, he will look to the Sun and the life that surrounds him. His storehouses will be bursting with the fruit he has gathered. His coat will protect him from the bite of winter frost. As he keeps diligent watch over the habits of God’s creation, he will be prepared for the season that is coming.
When the long, bright days of summer wane into the darkness of winter, man will sleep. But like the grains that wait slumbering in the earth, and the sap that is stilled and lies resting in tree’s veins, he, too, will awaken from his repose to a renewal of life. There is a new season awaiting him; a season that will remain. The Sun will shine once again upon his face, but more brilliantly than before. The final harvest will be gathered and stored. The trees will bear fruit year round. And with all of God’s creation, he will forever rest from his labor…and winter will come no more.
The trees are preparing for their slumber as the sap that gives them life slows in the cooling air. They have changed their dress. Green leaves that once adorned their skirts turn to vibrant hues of yellow, orange, and red. Soon they will stand bare in the crisp fall air, awaiting the blanket of heavy snow that will cover their nakedness.
The wild meadow grasses that grow beneath the forest’s feet have dropped their seeds to the earth below. Their once verdant crowns, burdened and leaning with life, now stand brittle and stripped. They will lie down on the wintry earth that encases their tender roots and patiently wait for life’s renewal.
The squirrels are busily gathering. The fox is donning his heavy winter coat and fat bushy tail to wrap around his nose and protect it from winter’s frost. And the birds have been teaching their fledglings the heavenly patterns of migration in the brilliant autumn sky. Calling back and forth to each other, their voices echo between the mountains. Those that stay behind are feeding to fatten themselves on the fruits of summer for the harsh mountain winter that lies ahead.
All of life is preparing for the coming change of season. There is a mechanism installed in each of God’s creatures to prepare as one season passes to another. Man is no different than the lesser creatures. He has been given the ability to recognize when to toil, when to sow, when to tend, and when to reap. If he is awake, he will look to the Sun and the life that surrounds him. His storehouses will be bursting with the fruit he has gathered. His coat will protect him from the bite of winter frost. As he keeps diligent watch over the habits of God’s creation, he will be prepared for the season that is coming.
When the long, bright days of summer wane into the darkness of winter, man will sleep. But like the grains that wait slumbering in the earth, and the sap that is stilled and lies resting in tree’s veins, he, too, will awaken from his repose to a renewal of life. There is a new season awaiting him; a season that will remain. The Sun will shine once again upon his face, but more brilliantly than before. The final harvest will be gathered and stored. The trees will bear fruit year round. And with all of God’s creation, he will forever rest from his labor…and winter will come no more.
