Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. ~James 4:10
It's that time of year again at the Orlando Compound. Yes, the first leaves are falling, thick and fast, eager to cover our decks, driveway and forest floor. We jokingly say that autumn is the only season requiring us to do any serious yard work at all, since our "lawn" consists of moss and mulch.
The oak leaves are certainly nothing to write home about when it comes to looks. Sere, brown and brittle, their humble entrance makes way for leaves of other tree species to produce eloquent and resounding colors before they, too, make their eventual journey to the earth below.
But in this show of natural humility, the oak leaves have a lesson for all of us. It doesn't matter what we look like for God to take notice of us. We don't have to be flashy or showy in order to live our lives for His glory. In fact, like the humble oak leaves, our lives should not take center stage, but point to something better and immeasurably wonderful to come.
God's kingdom.
When we submit to God in humility, James assures us that our Lord and Savior will lift us up.
And that, my friends, will, indeed, be an indescribably glorious day that outshines any brilliant colors the fall might send our way.
Amen!
Excellent thoughts today Martha. I love the idea of the oak leaf showing humility. I'm so glad God is not interested in flash.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad God isn't interested in flash, either, Bill. If He were, I know I certainly wouldn't have gotten very far - lol! Thanks for your kind words here.
DeleteLove and blessings!
Such a great lesson today. Thanx Martha.
ReplyDeleteDid you know that when leaves fall to the ground, at night worms pull them into the earth so that they slowly rot nourishing both the ground and the worms. I saw a leaf being pulled very slowly once. I held on tight to it. The worm brought reinforcement and they tugged so hard they nearly pulled me into the ground too.
God bless.
I can't tell if you're pulling my leg or pulling my leaf, Victor. Lol! Glad you enjoyed the lesson here today.
DeleteLove and blessings!
Good thoughts Martha, I noticed the leaves as well... Almost like the trees said... "It's October, time to leaf before you fall"
ReplyDeleteThank you, Ryan! I do like your saying, "Leaf before you fall."
DeleteLove and blessings!
We used to have three pin oak trees, planted by the builder as street trees between the side walk and the street. Unfortunately, he planted them directly below electrical wires. For a few years, they were fine, other than the tons of leaves that had to be raked in the fall (and we're required to use yard waste bags; dry oak leaves hate to be mashed down in a bag). The trees grew into the wires, which meant the electric company had to come trim them, and they did that by hollowing out the center. Our pin oaks became ugly trees, and we finally had them taken down.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your story of the pin oaks, Glynn. Yes, they are beautiful trees when they can grow free and clear from any wires, but I have to agree that the leaves are a mess! My mother's home has quite a few pin oaks, so I'm well aware of how difficult it is to clean them up.
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Our first year here -- after living in the desert so long -- I was besotted by the falling leaves. Still am! Had to smile at something a friend posted on FB: "I can't decide whether to blow the leaves off my porch or leave them as Halloween decor."
ReplyDeleteWonderful lessons, if only we make time to observe. Thank you!
I love your friend's comment, Myra! Sometimes, I feel that way, too, but we have so many leaves here, if we don't stay ahead of them, we will be overwhelmed. No choice in the matter!
DeleteGlad you enjoyed the lessons, too.
Love and blessings!
Thank you for your seasonal thoughts!
ReplyDeleteYou are so welcome, Marja!
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Martha, don't you just love how God uses His creation to teach us lesson after lesson?
ReplyDeleteOh, my, yes, I do, Linda! I do try to be attune to what His natural world is telling us about ourselves and expound on it when I can.
DeleteLove and blessings!
Now this will help me to appreciate the zillions of live oak leaves that are starting to fall in our front yard. They are different than your oak leaves, and are just plain brown and messy things...I don't have a good opinion of them at all. But you have helped me to see things differently. Thank you for this lesson on humility. It is one of those things that I often need to be reminded of. God bless you dear friend...your writings always give me good food for thought.
ReplyDeleteI need to be reminded of humility, too, Pamela, and I'm sure that's why God opened my eyes to these humble leaves who are content to fall without fanfare. I know that I'm so tempted to think it's all about me in this world when it isn't - it's all about God and His glory. I pray each day for His grace to continue in humbleness.
DeleteLove and blessings!
Dearest Martha Jane,
ReplyDeleteHad to delete the above, seem to be still tired...
Yes, like the falling oak leaves (though there are over 80 varieties of oak trees in our book from Louisiana Nurseries...) we all ought to be humble.
We got back yesterday from the funeral in TN. Very lucky that sun rays got sent down at the time we were at the cemetery; after some heavy rain. Guess the husband kind of kissed his wife and his young son goodbye...
Still not fully fluffed back as it was quite a journey for me solo as Pieter cannot drive in Interstate traffic. A total of 811 miles over 3 days and lots of emotions.
May people remain humble and know what counts!
Hugs,
Mariette
Oh, Mariette, I had no idea what Pieter and you have been going through! Nothing is sadder than the loss of a spouse and a child. I'll pray for them.
DeleteI can't drive interstates, either, so tell Pieter I empathize with him completely. Get some much needed rest!
Love and blessings!
💞
DeleteI love your lesson from the leaves, Martha! "It doesn't matter what we look like for God to take notice of us." Such a beautiful truth.
ReplyDeleteI believe it IS the truth, Lisa. I can't even imagine God not loving the creatures He made, and it surely makes my heart sing to know He loves me just as I am.
DeleteLove and blessings!
Oh, those oak leaves! We had four giant live oaks at our former home. None here, I'm happy to say! Still, I love your thoughts on the subject!! xo
ReplyDeleteTerri, we love living in our forest, but the leaves are overwhelming in the fall. Glad you enjoyed the thoughts here, though.
DeleteLove and blessings!
Such a sweet blessing Ms. Martha. Let us not take away from God, but let all see Him through our actions in His name. Amen my friend.
ReplyDeleteAmen, J. D.! Let us all humble ourselves before our Lord and Savior.
DeleteLove and blessings!
Thanks for the lovely analogy with the leaves. Love and God Bless.
ReplyDeleteI'm so happy you liked the analogy here, Nells!
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Oh, I just love the season of autumn! And you are right - even those leaves that aren't so beautiful still have some sort of beauty about them. Thank you for the wonderful spiritual applications you always preset here. God bless you, my friend!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you enjoyed the spiritual application in this post, Cheryl. God is everywhere and in everything when we take the time to look.
DeleteLove and blessings!
Sorry, meant to say, "present," not "preset!"
ReplyDeleteNo problem! :)
DeleteWhat a beautiful analogy, My Friend! We lose leaves from drought before we have the change of colors. It has become an everyday job to keep ahead of the leaf covered walks and paths.
ReplyDeleteBlessings!
I'm so glad you enjoyed the analogy, Lulu! Yes, it's hard to keep up with the leaves this time of year, that's for sure.
DeleteLove and blessings!
I'll remember this when our oak tree loses its leaves. Hundreds of leaves in our garden in late October, early November.
ReplyDeleteSeeing God in nature and remembering His promises is a beautiful way to stay grounded during this season of change. Do not doubt but believe. He makes all things new.
Seeing God in nature is definitely a positive way to stay grounded in this season of change, Aritha. We are certainly inundated with falling leaves at this time, but I do love watching them twirling as they drop to the earth below - like ballerinas!
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Powerful analogy, Martha. We have a River Birch in our courtyard that interestingly starts losing leaves in June! And since it's so large and tall, this continues through autumn until completely bare. We must deal with leaves for 4-5 months. Like how you said, "When we submit to God in humility, James assures us that our Lord and Savior will lift us up."
ReplyDeleteI'm so pleased that you could relate to this analogy, Karen, and I'm so sorry I've taken so long to get back to you! Yes, if we submit to the Lord in humility, He will never fail to lift us up. What a joy that is!
DeleteLove and blessings!
We have pine needles everywhere. We also have all the neighbors leaves. GO away leaves and blow away somewhere else. hahaha we laugh or we would cry. Always so much maintainece in the yard and the awful tumbleweeds and other weeds that remind me of our sinful nature. There are weeds I call the chokie weeds and they must love the devil . The more we pull them and their root the more they spread everywhere. I spend lots of time on the ground praying while I pull this weeds.
ReplyDeletePraying on the ground . . . Down on our knees is so many times where we need to be, Anne. If the devil doesn't sow weeds, he sends pine straw, one of the hardest varmints to sweep off our decks. And let's remember to laugh instead of cry, taking it all in knowing God's grace is with us.
DeleteLove and blessings!