God's Paint Brush

As I look out the window this morning, I am reminded that things change. Life changes and we change. This is the start or if you must, the beginning of fall. For many it’s that wonderful time in which we can slow down a little and watch God paint some amazing pictures in the cool crisp air. The fall flowers have begun their last hurrah of the year and the leaves are doing amazing things in the crystal azure sky.
In the small town where I used to minister I had opportunity to notice one particular tree. Every year it was the first tree to turn colour. But then it would be the first tree to be leafless and the first tree to bud in the spring. Maybe it was in a hurry or maybe it was just God saying, “See this, well you haven’t seen anything yet.” I took a picture of that tree that first year in town. Still have it here on the computer. I keep it there and put in on my desktop about this time of year. A number of things happen when I look at that picture. First I see God’s beauty and realize there may be other people standing near by that tree even today taking in it’s amazing beauty. Something else happens to me as I look on. I realize that time never stands still. Even though we go through the seasons, we acknowledge they continually repeat over and over. The last thing I observe in that picture is, life never stands still. Today, that tree is probably bigger and more majestic and awe-inspiring then when I took that picture ten or more years ago.
Maybe one of these days I will go back there, pull up in front of the church and just sit there looking down the street to see my friend, that good old tree. I will look to see what has changed about it, and notice how much larger it is, how more formidable and majestic and beautiful it is. It will give me opportunity to observe the myriad of leaves that I never saw before. I will be thankful for what I see and the lessons of life I derive from it.
It will also give me opportunity to ask myself how much I have grown over these last number of years? How much I have grown in Christ and it is evident? How with every season I reach higher and higher toward heaven as this tree does and I recite again this year, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven . . .” Ecc. 3:1
Something to think about
Rob