Every leaf speaks bliss to me, fluttering from the autumn tree.
Emily BRONTE
Autumn, when it hits just right, can be the most glorious of seasons – and this year, due to a warm, dry summer, we’ve been treated to some pretty spectacular displays here in our little South-Eastern corner of England.
There is nothing quite like the pop of an ochre tree against a bright blue sky to lift the spirits of the beholder.
Amber and Honey being Fox Red Labs, look like they were made for autumn. Add myself into the mix, and we’ve been quite the merry band of red-heads, tromping through the coppery foliage!
And just to add to the fun, we’ve also had an extra dog in tow for a few days this month – Holly, another one of Amber’s pups. What a joy to witness these three ginger-nuts waltzing around the park amid the whirling, swirling leaves.
There have been times over the last few weeks where they have reminded me of Chameleons, blending brilliantly into their surroundings. Talk about a game of Spot the Dog!
THE CYCLE OF LIFE
Autumn is a great reminder of the continuous cycle of nature. Autumn always seems to signal: change is in the air. As Summer goes out in a blaze of glory, the air gets cooler, crisper. Darker mornings set in. The gradual shortening of days. The comings and goings of the geese, some honking hello, others honking goodbye. The big old saucer of a moon. The arrival of the Redwings and Fieldfares and other migratory birds which frequent our soils from late autumn, flying in from Scandinavia in the hope of finding berries. The earth yielding bountiful crops, which are harvested in a celebration of thanksgiving.
I love the first few lines of this beautiful autumn poem by Rachel Field:
Something told the wild geese It was time to go Though the fields lay golden Something whispered, "Snow!"
I too, often marvel at the way these things just seem to happen. Endlessly. Without fail. Year upon year.
Yet, the bible shows us clearly that these things are not merely coincidence, but part of God’s wise and intricate design.
As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night shall never cease.
Genesis 8:22
Right at the start, God established the seasons!
And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and for years.
Genesis 1:14
The moon is specifically mentioned for the marking of the seasons, and the sun is noted for its regular setting time.
He made the moon to mark the seasons, the sun knows when to set.
Psalm 104:19
What an incredible God, who makes everything so beautifully and perfectly! In His infinite wisdom, He made all things so well, bringing rhythm and harmony and variety to His Creation.
shifting seasons
The natural order of things can serve as a mirror for our own lives too. The seasons can serve as a metaphor, reminding us of the ever changing landscape of our lives. For myself as a Mother, I’m constantly amazed at how quickly I’m passing through the seasons- from parenting sticky-faced toddlers, to wide-eyed adventurers, to turbulent teens, and suddenly to adult children all with their own experiences and seasons! My heart can barely keep up at times, and hold the weight of all my hopes and dreams for my precious four.
Our lives are subject to highs and lows and shifts and changes. Just like in nature, our lives have a rhythm. Periods of growth. Periods of rest. Just like the crops, sometimes abundant other times, fallow. Even our spiritual walk can be subject to mountain-top views and valleys-like depths, to uphill climbs and tummy-turning downhill rushes, to lush plains of plenty, and dry desert paths.
JESUS – THE CONSTANT ONE
Psalm 23 reminds us so well that Jesus is our Good Shepherd! He is our Immanuel! He’s constantly with us- whether we’re in green pastures or walking through the valley of the shadow of death.
What comfort there is in knowing His rod and staff to guide and protect us in all the seasons of our lives.
What peace there is in knowing that He is the God who watches over our coming in and going out- now and forevermore – Psalm 121:8
What joy in walking through all the seasons of life beside an ever-faithful God, whose love is as constant as the sun.
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never come to an end, They are new every morning. Great is Your faithfulness.
This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it!
Psalm 118:24
Labradors always seem to be in a good mood! Apart from the rare occasion where they are perhaps sick or anxious, these cheerful creatures are renowned for being the most affectionate and exuberant of dogs. In fact, I’m pretty sure I’ve seen our dogs smile a time or two!
Amber, reunited with Holly, one of her pups
Every time they see us, whether it’s first thing in the morning, or when we return home from somewhere, we are greeted with a full on half-hour waggy-welcome party! You would think we’d been apart for decades.
Amber (far right) with Honey (far left) & Holly (middle) who came to visit recently
The girls just cannot contain their mirth, but rush around like spinning tops, grabbing the nearest ‘present’ they can hold in their soft jaws- usually a shoe, or a slipper or someone’s discarded sweater – then parade around the kitchen table as proud as punch, doing a kind of salsa-number with their rear-end.
Rejoice in the Lord always. And again I say, I rejoice!”
Philippians 4:4
These high-spirited dogs seem acutely attuned to even the slightest whiff of joy and celebration! I think they have a joy antenna fitted somewhere! If ever I sing or dance or laugh out loud, or get remotely happy, they quickly pick up on the atmosphere, wagging their tails ecstatically, and occasionally rearing up on their hind legs in a joyful jiggle.
Rejoice!
The bible is choc-full of scriptures telling us to rejoice! Some sources say that there are over 300 verses about gladness, joy and rejoicing. The word rejoice means to feel or show great joy or delight. Boy, do our dogs know how to rejoice!
Interestingly, the command to rejoice isn’t only reserved for times when everything is going our way.
1 Thessalonians 5:16 tells us to: ‘Rejoice at all times.” and James 1:2 says: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters when you face trials of many kinds…”
Biblical rejoicing is a command to find joy in God, regardless of our shifting circumstances. Biblical joy is rooted – not in fleeting feelings of happiness – but rather anchored in the knowledge of God’s presence, promises and faithfulness at all times. We can rejoice because we know that whatever life throws at us, we have an unshakable Rock that we can run to – Jesus, the Victor over sin and death and grave.
We rejoice because He is always worthy – no matter how hard life can get.
This joy and gladness can be expressed though worship, thankfulness and hope in the face of both blessings and suffering.
Unlike the Labrador, sometimes we need to stir ourselves to rejoice! Reminding ourselves of all that God has done is a great way to do this. Even if we’re struggling to find joy in our current situation, reflecting on God’s goodness, kindness and generosity in sending Jesus to die on the cross for our sins is a great catalyst for rejoicing:
I will rejoice greatly in the Lord, my soul shall rejoice in my God. For He has clothed me with garments of salvation and wrapped me in a robe of righteousness.”
Isaiah 61:10
God’s presence is the only place in which we can find real and lasting joy.
In your presence there is fullness of joy. At Your right hand there are pleasures forevermore.”
Psalm 16:10
If you’re not sure how to get into God’s presence, the bible has a great suggestion for the best route in!
Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise! Give thanks to Him, bless His Name!”
Psalm 100:4
We get into God’s presence by thanking Him and praising Him. And if we linger long enough in this atmosphere, we will end up finding JOY.
Today, despite the instability of my feelings and shifting circumstances, I am choosing to REJOICE! Will you join me?
“Mum, did you remember to pay for my school trip?”
“Did you remember there’s a meeting this evening?”
“Don’t forget your P.E. Kit!”
“I must remember to take those library books back on Tuesday.”
“Don’t forget your packed lunch bag!”
Sound familiar?
Just last week, I fell prey to absent-mindedness on a number of occasions! On Monday I filled in some important forms for my daughter’s new school. I put them by the front door so that I wouldn’t forget them the next day…and then on Tuesday, I managed to leave the house without them! On Wednesday, I popped into the shop and bought a few groceries…but came home without the milk. On Friday, I took my car into the garage, walked all the way back home, only to discover that I’d forgotten to take my door key off the car key-ring.
You know that old saying: “You’d forget your head if it wasn’t screwed on”…well, that pretty much sums me up!
And here we are again, heading towards November – the month of remembrance. Soon we’ll be buying red poppies and taking part in two minute silences. Lest we forget…
A few days ago, I stumbled across an interesting verse in the book of Judges:
“The sons of Israel did what was evil in the sight of God, and forgot the Lord their God and served the Baals and the Asheroth.” (Judges 3: 7)
Hang on a minute…back up the truck….I thought doing evil in the sight of God would entail murder or betrayal or deepest, darkest deception. What did the sons of Israel do that was so offensive to God? They forgot Him.
God has always wanted a people who will love Him and serve Him with wholehearted devotion. And the truth is, He’s worthy of nothing less.
“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy mind…”
But the Sons of Israel ‘forgot’ Him. They forgot the God who had brought them up out of Egypt. Split open the Red Sea so they could walk though on dry land. Provided Manna from heaven and water from a rock. Who knows what distractions may have lured their affections away? But I would hazard a guess that it was a gradual slide. Perhaps they gradually stopped talking about Him quite so often – stopped remembering the miracles. Perhaps they stopped being thankful. Perhaps they got too busy trying to pay the bills. But somehow, their hearts drifted away from their first love. And it wasn’t long before they were serving Baal and Asheroth – worshipping idols. How tragic.
The word ‘remember’ comes from the Latin root ‘mem’, which means ‘call to mind’ or ‘be mindful of’. So many words that we use in our everyday language stem from this root: Memento, memoir, memorandum, memorabilia. All of these things are designed to prompt our memory. They remind us of important things, or preserve special memories. But what can we do to remind ourselves of the One who is more important than any other treasure?
David had the right idea – In Psalm 103, we see an example of him “calling to mind” the goodness of the Lord:
“Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget none of His benefits,
Who pardons all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases,
Who redeems your life from the pit,
Who crowns you with loving-kindness and compassion,
Who satisfies your years with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.”
It seems to me that remembering the Lord is not some hit and miss thing, like it so often is with things like milk and car keys. We must choose to remember. We need to keep calling to mind the goodness of our God. We need to constantly remind ourselves of His past mercies and all of His faithfulness. It’s a deliberate thing.
Jesus made this clear to us on the night before he died.
And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them saying: “this is my body which is given for you, do this in remembrance of Me.” (Luke 22:19).
If there’s only one truth that we choose to remember in this lifetime, surely it should be this one: That Jesus Christ, the Son of the Most High God, laid down His life, so that we might live. Let’s never forget.
EVERYDAY ENCOUNTERS 