“For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” (Romans 3:23 NLT)
From meteorological and astronomical perspectives, fall is the season between summer and winter where I live, in a Midwest state of the USA. Many refer to the three months of all as “autumn.” Personally, I would argue that fall is a more appropriate name for this period of time where many plants fall to sleep; go dormant until spring arrives. Don’t think that my use of the word “fall” as I defined in the sentence you just read is not, I repeat, it IS NOT the reason why I prefer the name “fall” over “autumn. Do you want to know my real reason for my preference? Okay, I’ll tell you. It is because, to my dismay, the leaves fall on my lawn and cover it with a thick blanket of leaves; much like a baby is covered on a cold winter night. If you live in the Midwest, I’m sure you have tried your best to remove the leaves by raking or blowing or a combination of both techniques. Either way, it’s hard work and, to make matters more laborious, it is not a one-time process! For as soon as you bag up your leaves, leaving your lawn bare, making it no longer necessary for the grass to gasp for air and reveal its natural beauty, there are more leaves that seemingly, patiently waited until you go to bed at night to fall down and take the place of the heavy blanket of leaves you had just removed. To me, it’s like the tree thinks the lawn has to have be covered. And then there are your neighbors who look at you with disdain if you don’t keep up the work to take care of your yard. Oh, it’s work! Ten large bags last week and six more large bags Monday! I don’t think it’s possible to have a clean yard in the fall season. So I’m admitting it right now. I’m done! No more raking or blowing! No more bagging! The neighbors can drive by slowly shaking their heads if they want to, but it won’t bother me. It’s good enough for me!
I am so glad that when we experience a fall season on our spiritual journey that it’s just a matter of confession and repentance. As the seasons of life past, thank God we can say our fall seasons are infrequent and they are incapable of being ignored. Without any reluctance or regret, as soon as we have a failing, not a falling, during our fall system where it’s not the temperature, but the temptation of Satan, self, or the secular world beckons us into sin; without any reluctance or regret, we make our way up to heaven’s throne and look to God for His mercy to fall down on us. We make up our mind to get right and stay right with God to avoid such failings again. Unlike the fall season, our fall season where we have failings can be rectified. We can be made clean. And being made clean, we can start out like we are spanking brand new!
Is there a fall season in your life today; a time where you have failed to live like a Christian ought? Well, don’t let it cover your being! You don’t need that kind of blanket! Instead, right now, look to God in repentance and believe the words below! He knows you! He knows you will do your best going forward! He loves you! Let His love cover you! Don’t give up! Get up and press upward friend! Be blessed!
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (I John 1:9 MEV)
Still committed to the climb,
Mark L. King