~Awesome Autumn~

From the highest of heights to the depths of the sea
Creation's revealing Your majesty
From the colors of fall to the fragrance of spring
Every creature unique in the song that it sings
All exclaiming
Indescribable, uncontainable,
You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name.
You are amazing God
All powerful, untameable,
Awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim
You are amazing God
Indescribable~by Chris Tomlin

If you are fortunate enough to live in a region where you experience the amazing transition from summer to fall, stop for a minute and look at the leaves - they are changing already! Seems it gets earlier every year, or, am I just getting older every year?

I would never tell my botany professor from college this, but, I forgot why exactly it is the leave colors change - I only remembered it has something to do with that really big word that starts with 'photo' but is not one of my favorite 'photograph'. So, I went online-Now, I think I understand it better than I did at my botany final, thanks to some wonderfully written science for elementary homeschoolers websites!

As I read the series of events that brings these beautiful changes, I realized how much I am so like the leaves - needing my own Son and Living Water to stay healthy and productive.

So, I thought I'd pass on the information - just in case you forgot too. Actually, it truly is amazing how the change occurs and He creates this beautiful show. Besides, be ready, your kids are gonna ask you - won't they think you are smart if you are armed and ready with the answer!

"While the sun was shining, and we were enjoying its warmth and light, so were the leaves. The leaves were a food factory for the trees and plants. The leaves use the sun to convert carbon dioxide from the air, and water from the tree roots into food for the tree, which it stores throughout the summer. (This process is that big word a few of us remember from school – photosynthesis )

Inside each leaf there are millions of little cells with pigment packages of chlorophyll and carotenoid. Chlorophyll is the chemical that helps with the process of photosynthesis, and gives the leaves their green color. The carotenoids are responsible for the yellow, orange and brown autumn leaves. During the summer however, the chlorophyll is very active using the sun for photosynthesis, and essentially masks the other pigment packages.

As the days get shorter and there is less sunlight, the tree makes less green producing cholorphyll which causes the other pigments to be revealed. Of course, these yellow and orange pigments give us our autumns filled with beautiful leaves.

As the tree receives less sunlight, it also creates a layer of cells at the base of the leaf, which is called the separation layer. Eventually, the leaf is not receiving enough water from the roots and it will turn brown, die, and fall off of the tree limb. That is when we begin getting out our rakes!

I think we are all like those leaves.

Without our Son, spelled S-O-N, we lose our life and our shadiness to others, and, eventually fall off and die. When we create our own ‘separation layer’ in our lives, we become disconnected from our Life Giving Water. We may look beautiful to others, as do those leaves that are getting less sunlight and water. However, we, as those leaves, are on the path to death. We may look OK on the outside, but, that is only for a little while. Without The Son, we will die.

But, when we are getting enough of The Son, we are alive. When we are basking in His presence, we are healthy. We are busy and productive using The Son’s energy to do His work.

When we are connected to the Life Giving Water, we are not thirsty. We become beautiful and refreshing to others in our lives. We are a shade for those who need a rest.

So, if you are fortunate enough to live in a region that will have a rainbow of leaf colors this autumn, take a moment and look at the leaves. Ask yourself which leaf are you? And, find a way to remind your self to stay in the Son and connected to the Living Water.

(Excerpt taken from Awesome Autumn - He Keeps Us Faithbooking Devotional available at ScrapbookersBubbleBath.com)