Welp. I gave in. I finally succumbed to Fall today. September beckoned and I ran, tripping, to it. With all that Fall has meant to me, why wouldn’t I? Some of my very best memories took place during this time:
Literally every area of my life has special memories saturated in Fall’s crisp air. It is one of the few places in my life where I regret nothing. I was just a kid playing in the leaves, a girl sipping hot cider while snuggled up to her mother, a young woman infatuated by the man she had just met. For me, Fall carries with it an innocence. Which, in truth, is weird since it is really just a gloriously beautiful death. But even look at the ways we decorate for fall. Fragile leaves, flowers, woody acorns, pinecones, pumpkins with smooth, rounded edges, hedgehogs, squirrels, owls -- all with large, happy eyes, smiling scarecrows that want nothing more than to sit in a field and watch the crops, and so many signs about thankfulness! Fall is about the campfires and jack-o-lanterns lighting up the darkness. It’s about preparing for Winter’s winds. It’s about warding off the cold with hot drinks, sweet treats, and flames. It’s about admiring one of the most awe-inspiring deaths that has ever been. But, in so many ways, it reminds me of Christ. All of fall is really the celebration of the trees dying. They must die in order for life to come again in the spring. And, knowing this, they give up their lives, their leaves the indicator of their passing into ultimate quiet. Red streaks the leaves, just like the blood that streaked his face. In that moment where Creation knew that it was only through death that we would find life, Christ died.
As he cried out with his final breath, color burst into the universe. Golds and oranges waving the flags of defeat. Red dripping down the torn skin of his side. And yet, there is this soft innocence to Fall. This sweet warmth. It is the same innocence and warmth that I experience when I look at the cross. The most beautiful death took place there. A death of total sacrifice, total surrender, and total love. A death that showed me a love that knows no bounds, that knows no reasons why not. A death that led the way into life. So yes, I will decorate my house in leaves of red to remind me of his blood; leaves of gold to remind me of his glory; pumpkins to remind me of his strength he gave up; owls to remind me of the wisdom in his plan for salvation; lanterns to remind me of the light in the darkness; hedgehogs to remind me of the gentle innocence I have been given; acorns to remind me of life waiting for its time; and scarecrows to remind me of his watching over me in the night. Yes, I will decorate it as soon as the day turns to September First. If you want to make fun of me or say that it isn’t really Fall yet, that’s okay. My love for his grace compels me.
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October 2019
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