As Fall Gives Way
Donna Zangara / Executive Director of Next Generation Ministries
As autumn arrives, I’m reminded how much I love fall and the beauty that’s revealed all around us. Many of us don’t want summer to end—but one look at the vibrant colors of orange, red, and golden yellow on a crisp morning, with a hot cup of cocoa and something pumpkin in hand—and I’m all in for this new season.
Curious, I did a little research about how leaves get their color and why one tree turns orange while another turns red. The change is thanks to a tiny chemical called chlorophyll. During the growing season, chlorophyll works hard to absorb sunlight and make food for the tree. Its strong green pigment masks the other colors that have been there all along.
In the same way, the constant noise and busyness of our daily lives can overshadow what the Holy Spirit within us is trying to show us and how the Lord wants to use us. But just as trees surrender their chlorophyll in the fall, this season invites us to quiet our own hearts and be still long enough for Our Father to lead us so the true vibrancy of our relationship with Him is revealed.
John 8:12 (NIV): “When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’”
Ephesians 5:8 (ESV): “For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.”
2 Corinthians 4:18 (NIV): “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
The light that powers a plant’s growth is absorbed by chlorophyll. But the light of Jesus—the true “light of life”—is absorbed not by pigment, but by our spirit through prayer, Scripture, and surrender.
The autumn leaves remind us that the beauty we see is not added but revealed. The colors were always there, waiting to be shown. What might the “chlorophyll” be in your own life—the distractions, worries, or busyness that keep you from reflecting your true colors in Christ?
This fall slow down, pause, and allow Jesus’ light to shine through you.