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In Texas, there are two growing seasons that act as bookends to our extreme heat. Of course the Spring traditionally gives us the more obvious signs of growth, but The Fall, or Latter growing season, even though it’s short, With some careful planning and management, there’s still time for the soil to offer up a little more production for the year. Our job is to be aware and open to it.
The beginning of Fall is here, If you’re driving right now, look around. You may notice some people’s lawns may still look vibrantly green when everything else is brown from the summer heat. The reason may be that they’ve planted either some type of winter Rye grass or maybe even some oats, something with a little tolerance to cold and has the ability to germinate quickly. It looks amazing and to the trained eye, it’s a special kind of green.
Once you’ve harvested, like we talked about last week, we are able to see things from a new perspective b/c the fields that were once lush and full of growth are now flattened and barron. There’s nothing but stalks sticking up from the dirt.
Sometimes when you look at things from a different point of view, you see things differently. You are able to plan for the next year during this time = receiving revelation… if you’re open to it.
That means we are to keep our ears open, to keep a watchful eye, and to have an open mind.
So what do we have to learn from this season?
This “barron-ness” that happens during Fall, right before our eyes, gives us an opportunity to re-evaluate and to take an inventory on 3 things:
- What is bringing us closer to God, And by the way we need to be embracing those things.
- Who He has called us to be, And that may not be playing out like we want it to be. So it brings us to #3.
- What is incrementally luring us away from that.
That means we may need to get rid of some things.
Some of those things we may be very fond of, they bring us comfort, and sometimes even a little happiness.
It also may mean we need to plant; what seems to be out of season, but it’s not.
It may mean that this season is offering you “that special kind of green” that you could experience when everyone else is in “hunker down” mode, preparing for something that isn’t here yet.
One of my favorite quotes from Steve Jobs is when he is talking about the very business that you and I know to be Apple. He said “In order for us to continue to be successful, we have to be willing to completely reinvent ourselves at all times.”
Once you’ve harvested, there is a sense of satisfaction and gratitude. We can easily embrace that, and then ask “what’s next?” indicating that we are never satisfied.
We have to continually ask “Lord, You orchestrate everything. What are you trying to say to me in this moment?”
As the “slate is wiped clean” sometimes our challenge is to see things as a new beginning.
There is a short growing season that is available to you, right in the middle of what looks to be a barron time of year. Just because the leaves are no longer green and they are turning color, that doesn’t mean that we are done growing for the year. It just means that growth doesn’t look the same as it did in the past season.
His mercies are new every day. Dare to see each day as a new beginning.
If we begin to see Fall as an opportunity for new and fresh revelation, a season for “a special kind of growth” then before you know it, you will be Living the Freedom Life. Our job is to be open to it.