Fall: For Harvest (Reflection/Remembrance)
Autumn represents the preservation of life and its basic necessities. During this time, animals prepare for the Winter by storing food and creating cozy hibernation spaces, while farmers work on their fall harvest by collecting a reserve of crops.
This the Harvest season. The season of gathering that which you worked so hard for, remembering hard work and patience and getting to enjoy it. Leaves start to fall from trees and things begin to die. Harvest season and festivals revolve around the importance of food production and celebrate the work that went into it, finally paying off.
Fall can be discouraging for many people. They tend to either love Fall or hate it. Fall is like an in-between season to many, so most people tend to overlook it. The same thing happens to our hearts. When we find ourselves in “in-between” seasons we tend to overlook them. Looking over Fall to Winter, and most times it's not exciting. The idea of sitting inside all day because the weather is wretched haunts our minds more than the Halloween decorations we put up on our porches. Mix that with the dying leaves that flood our yards, it’s easy to look over Fall because of all the dreariness that lies on the other side of it. We dread the Winter ahead and all it does is fog our minds, so we’re not able to focus on the season we’re in.
Fall can’t be overlooked. We need Fall to remember where we were in our Summers and Springs and how the Lord grew us and provided. This season gives us a chance to reflect on his goodness and his beauty that works in us, but also in nature. I tend to think our hearts are more like trees than we think they are. We enter the cycle of seasons just like they do. Every Fall, pieces of us slowly begin to die like the leaves. They change color and loosen their grip on the branches and gracefully fall to the ground.
Fall is about reflecting on those beautiful leaves that grew on strong branches and the shade they provided for others. Maybe it's reflecting on the fruit that grew, that you’ve now harvested and already used, and you’re not sure what to do without them. Acknowledging their death for them to come back bigger and stronger than before is also necessary. The beautiful thing about death and fall is that it is beautiful. Nature does not die ponderously and neither do we, or the parts of us. Death makes way for something else to move in, perhaps grace, thanks, and forgiveness.
Fall isn’t a season meant to be a season for resignation, but a season of reflection and remembrance. The nights sneak up quicker, the cold weather creeps in faster and it’s easy for us to become bitter or lost because of it. But I don’t think those thoughts or feelings help heal our hearts as much as reflection and remembrance do. Maybe the sun setting faster is what causes us to head home and spend more time writing out our thoughts and reflecting on the past season. Maybe, the cold air blowing us from side to side is what makes us stay inside with one another, remembering all the wonderful, or even difficult, memories that lead to your growth and eventually your Harvest?
The great thing about seasons and our hearts is that we have a God who helps us navigate them. Invite him into your heart, he made it, I’m sure he could show you the way.
Navigating Fall:
What moments of fall do I enjoy? Activities, candles, reading, walks? What moments of fall make you feel alive?
Do you have something you’ve grown in the past few months that you would consider a Harvest? If so, what would you say it is? How has the Lord used your harvest for his good the past few weeks?
Do you have leaves that you’re scared to let go of, or do you have leaves you want to fall off, but seem to have a tight grip? If so, write them out to understand them. Ask God why these leaves won’t fall or why they have to.
Go ahead and surrender those falling leaves to the Lord now that understand the weight of them a little more. You can set down the heavy things, they do not go unnoticed to him. It may be possible for you to do this in a moment, but it may also take a few days or weeks. Some trees turn faster than others.
What other ways have you seen the Lord's goodness in the past few weeks? When we feel heavy, it’s good for us to remember how God has been faithful to us before. This isn’t to blind us from this weight we’re carrying now, it’s just to remind us of the fact that he will do it again and that this season isn’t wasted.
Fall Practices:
Read a book you’ve read before but want to dive into again.
Write down the beauty in things you might have overlooked before. What caught your eye today and caused you to sit and reflect for a few moments?
Light a candle. It’s just fun and fall to do sometimes and makes the room feel warm.
Go for a walk and look at the trees. Pick up one leaf to keep.
Enjoy coffee with a friend and talk about your harvests.
Bake something. This slows down our minds and gives us something to focus on when we might be overwhelmed by the feelings of fall.
Listen to Seasons by Hillsong because it’s just really good.
Always invite the Lord into those moments, he wants to be present with you if you let him. When you do, he’ll open your eyes to the beauty of this season. He will show you things like you’ve never seen before, he’ll help you understand your heart and fill the spaces where old leaves have fallen.