Outdoor Truths: Seasons
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By Gary Miller
We are quickly coming to everyone’s favorite time of year. The signs of summer’s close are the start of school, Labor Day, and another hunting season. Autumn in most states brings cool mornings and warm evenings. It’s the days that country folks enjoy the screen door and open windows. The air seems cleaner and fresher, and the once hazy skies are now as clear as a mountain stream. The most prominent signs of fall are the leaves that are changing from hues of green into colors as different as the trees themselves. My part of the country is known for the beautiful fall colors that cover the mountains like Joseph’s coat of many colors. During the summer months, from a distance, every tree looks the same. The hills seem covered with one big blob of green. And while the evergreens may stand out from their needles, the rest of the landscape is uniform. Each tree has thrived under the good conditions of spring and summer. When the pressure of fall comes each tree begins to show its own unique colors. Fall is not the time of plenty; it is the time of lack. This lack is what causes the leaves to turn. We might say that when each tree is under the pressure of a lack of sustenance it begins to show its true colors. The same can be said about us.
Many times in our life, we are forced under some pressure. One of the most common pressures is the one that comes from a perceived lack of what we need. As with any pressure we are squeezed to the point that what is inside comes out. We show our true colors. Now this doesn’t mean that one bad moment is the determining factor of who we really are. But pressure that is put on us over time will reveal what we are made of. What we need to understand is that many times it is God who is applying the pressure to us. He is not doing it so He can find out what we will do – He already knows; but He is doing it so we can know and so that we can see what is truly in our heart and if we really trust in God who has promised to provide everything we need. Thankfully, these difficult times are only seasons. Although they seem permanent at times, one day they will give way to another time of growth and prosperity. And I pray that while autumn is in the air, your summer of blessings is just arriving.
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ν Gary Miller has written Outdoor Truths articles for 21 years. He has also written five books which include compilations of his articles and a father/son devotional. He also speaks at wild-game dinners and men’s events for churches and associations. Stay updated on Outdoor Truths each week by subscribing at Outdoortruths.org.
