Autumn Leaves and the Golden Years

I find volumes of spiritual truth in various aspects of a tree. As I ponder the colorful autumn scene that spreads across mountains and hillsides, spilling down into valleys and along riverbanks, I realize that the last days of a leaf’s life are its most glorious. I call it the legacy of the leaf. God’s nature is replete with lessons for us to learn. Here is what I see in the Leaf:

The picture at right shows the beautiful blending of yellow and orange leaves of a Maple tree, with its riot of wonderful color painted against the startlingly blue background of an autumn sky. A few steps away I saw a spray of gold hanging gracefully in front of an old shed -- adorning the space for a brief moment in time.

A leaf begins life as a small, tender green creation. It pops out of its nourishing bud, unfurling its compact being -- prepared to face the elements of a sometimes-harsh world. During its season of life, the leaf withstands rain, wind, blazing sunshine, and even abuse from wandering critters.

With no fanfare or complaint, the leaf fulfills its God-given purpose. It gives shade from the sun’s heat, filters impurities from the air, and offers beauty and good cheer to onlookers. Leaves also provide a haven for birds and animals and insects – a place to which they can retreat and grow stronger.

Then, as the life-cycle of the leaf begins to wind down, a chemical process created by God, quickly replaces its youthful green with varying shades of brilliant color. Leaves begin to fall. The wind blows, scattering and tossing leaves like golden waves across the ground. Soon, the leaf becomes dry and brittle as its season ends. Eventually its form disintegrates and it becomes one with the earth from which it sprung.

The amazing aspect of the leaf’s aging process is that its final days on the tree are its most glorious. It’s like a final burst of praise and glory to the great Creator before it literally "bites the dust."

I gaze out at this vibrant sea of color spreading before me -- gold and crimson, orange and red, and I smile. I see not only the beauty, but think also about the deeper meaning I’ve discovered. God has a purpose for every leaf – just as He does for every life.

From the birth of a baby, small and tender, the seasons of life unfold. There are days and years of growth and productivity, and soon the life-cycle winds down. Some people look at the winding down of life as a sad thing, but it shouldn’t be viewed as a negative. Why do you think old age is called "golden"!

I haven’t yet reached my "golden" years, but I’m into what could be termed as the "silver" years. During the lush green decades of my life, I provided shelter and shade for my children. I filtered impurities from their young lives and provided beauty and good cheer to help them grow stronger. They grew and, like acorns that fall from the tree, they dug roots and sprouted into trees that have grown straight and tall on their own. They have begun to grow their own crop of leaves. This too is a legacy.

I have enjoyed each cycle of my life and now, in my silver years, I’m happy with where I am. I have begun to feel that chemical process created by God wherein my "leaves" are beginning to fade. I admit that I don’t particularly like the physical deterioration, but this too, I know, is part of the process. I am trusting in God who says that they who delight in the Lord will be "like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither," Psalms 1:3. That verse doesn’t mean that I’ll live forever on earth and never age, but it does mean that my "leaf" or "soul" will not wither or fade. Not only can I remain inwardly strong and fruitful, but I will live forever with the Lord in heaven.

My mother, who is 88 years old, is in her golden years. She is like the wonderful Fall tree you see in the picture. The mature leaves that cling tenaciously to the tree – still strong – still beautiful – lift what they have to give to God’s glory. Mother still offers her service and praise to a Lord who has brought her through a sometimes-harsh world, but a world that has also been colored with love and beauty of every description.

The wisest king who ever lived was Solomon. Inspired by God, he wrote the words found in Ecclesiastes 3, which remind us, "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot…He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men."

Just like the magnificence of autumn leaves – old age has a unique quality all its own. God has indeed made everything beautiful in its time.

The Legacy of the Leaf is that it fulfilled its purpose in total obedience to its Creator. May we seek to do the same.

The Photo: a maple at Oakwood Cemetery in Statesville, NC, taken by Sandra Julian Barker.