AUTUMN is my favourite season of the year. Finally, I can leave the hot summer nights behind, enjoy the sun without being burnt, and take long walks in the crisp fresh air under the blue skies. But most of all, I love the trees. Trees in Autumn would have to be one of the most beautiful things in all creation. The colour of their leaves, as they change from green to the most stunning array of reds and oranges before falling to the ground, just makes me happy.

One day, while driving along a street lined with these beautiful flame-coloured trees, I realised I couldn't remember why leaves changed their colours. But there was something about it that I felt I needed to know, so I did some research!

Trees would need lots of energy and water to keep their leaves healthy in Winter. This is because it's so cold and dry, and there's usually less sunshine (which helps give the leaves the energy they need and the green pigmentation). So at the start of Autumn, leaves stop making chlorophyll (the pigment that gives plants their green colour) and break it down instead. As this happens, the green is stripped away, and those beautiful reds and yellows start to show through. These trees then drop their leaves and seal the spots on their branches where the leaves were once attached. The trees then enter a hibernation-like season of rest and preparation, ready for Spring and new growth.

If the trees tried to hold onto their leaves longer than the seasons dictated, they would lose energy and fade. And, the beautiful colours underneath would not be revealed.

It had me thinking...how many times have I tried to hold on longer than the season dictated?

Driving down that beautiful street, I had been contemplating all life had thrown at me. And it was time to make some important decisions, but I was tired. Every day felt like an uphill battle, and I was trying to work out whether it was because it was a tough season or had the time come to walk away and close the door?

Challenges come in every season of our life. Sometimes things are complicated because life can be complicated, but it doesn't mean we are supposed to move on or give up. Instead, these are times when we learn to be patient and persevere (not fun at all, but necessary!) Other times the grace to be in that season has lifted, and it becomes so challenging. It's uncomfortable, frustration rises, and you can feel like you are literally being squeezed out of your place and can't work out why! We wrestle and fight during these times, striving to make it all work when we are not supposed to be making it work at all! And we wonder why we continue to grow wearier, worn down, and uninspired.

Sometimes it takes us a while to realise that uncomfortable, frustrating and confusing time is often God closing the door and moving us on.

Not transitioning out of the old and into the new season strips us of energy. It also leaves us vulnerable. Remember, the branches seal the exposed spot where the leaves were once attached to prevent them from being damaged. They literally close the door on the leaves that have fallen. With their branches bare, the trees enter a beautiful season of resting and waiting for the new.

Oh, if only it was that simple, I hear you say.

For many people, the transition between seasons feels like a tree laid bare; your leaves have fallen to the ground, and you're left fully exposed to the elements yet hidden all at the same time. But this is where your true beauty can be revealed. Instead of seeing it as a cold and bleak 'winter' season, it can be a time of rest and preparation for the new things God is planning and leading you into.

This time of seasons changing is a beautiful invitation to learn to rest and simply 'be'. Instead of fighting to stay where you are and holding on as tightly as possible, sometimes it's time to let go and move forward. Freedom comes when you follow His voice, leave where you are and trust Him as you prepare to step into the great unknown. Who knows? It might just be in that space where your true beauty and colours are revealed.

Fi x