The leaves are changing.
Have you noticed?
The colors are quietly moving
Toward a new season.
Don’t lose focus.
The change will come.
Some things we don’t want to
Let go of, and hold a little stronger.
Some things we look forward to,
Anticipating a little longer.
But the change will come.
Eventually, the faint colors will
Become bright, signaling the shift.
Temperatures will fluctuate,
The season cannot resist,
Because the change will come.
Therefore, I will wait.
It won’t always be the same,
Because the leaves are changing,
Revealing His promises’ reign.
And the change will come.
“If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come.” Job 14:14
Recently, I have been asked to stretch beyond my comfort zone in dealing with a certain matter. To step into something that I don’t know how it’s going to turn out. But also, recently, I have been trying my best to do more than just quote the words of faith; I have been working on deliberately applying them and practicing them even more than before.
Sometimes life calls us to take challenging and uncomfortable steps. Often, those steps do not come with full disclosure about the results, making those initial moves even more uneasy. As humans, we like to know or at least get some kind of inkling about how things will turn out. Thomas, who, historically, is referred to as the doubter in the group of the original disciples, had a hard time believing in the resurrection of Jesus Christ without visible, physical proof. As a matter of fact, he said, “Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe” (John 20:25).
The tragedy of the cross dampened all he had previously witnessed during his term as a disciple of Christ. In fact, Thomas, if we’re honest, only verbally spoke the same reaction of disbelief as the other disciples, who had only come to believe after seeing evidence for themselves.
But Jesus said, “Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed” (John 20:29).
Those who have come to faith through the word of the testimony of these founding apostles and the Holy Scriptures were not, are not, ones who visibly and physically laid eyes or hands on our Lord. But by faith, we believe.
Our evidence is only in accepting what Scripture provides as truth – and that’s enough. Our hearts have been opened to receive this truth through the Holy Spirit – and we are glad.
Our salvation is the greatest thing we can believe and hope for, but faith does not stop at the door. Throughout our Christian journey, we will encounter many times of not knowing the result of the next step.
Thomas’s experience can help you filter your response when encountering these unknown moments. Many of our Christian decisions will be by faith, not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7). And we can go forth believing without having all the answers laid out for us in detail or wrapped in a pretty package.
The cross was not beautiful, but by faith we believe in the beauty of salvation that it produces. If we can believe for that, that all our sins have been washed away and taken care of, everything else is little in comparison.
Even if you can’t see it, just believe. Our eyes, our knowing, can get in the way of something greater that God may want to do. Don’t let what you see or don’t see be a limiting factor in your life. Instead, let it be an area of expansion for your faith. As a seed grows to be a fruitful plant unseen in the soil, your faith will grow best in the times of the unseen.
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1
I don’t pray anymore for faith like Abraham’s or courage like David’s, or for any other qualities modeled by someone else.
Their lives are significant, and we can learn from them—but God is writing something personal in each of us. Every one of us carries aspects of ourselves that God wants to shape, refine, and bring to life. When we yield to His molding process, we become the version of ourselves that He intended from the beginning.
I want to become the best version of me that God desires. I’ve realized He has placed a unique beauty and originality within every person. Together, we each bring a distinct “flavor” to the larger story of humanity.
The stories of others can inspire us and offer guidance, but trying to replicate someone else’s journey can leave us discouraged when our path doesn’t look like theirs. And that’s because it was their story—not ours.
God sees the beauty in who you are and in the path you walk with Him.
We honor the footsteps of those who have gone before us, but we also embrace the truth that our road may look different. The beauty of your life rests in who God designed you to be.
The best version of you isn’t found in imitation—it’s found in His intention.
“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10
“Beloved think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you,” 1 Peter 4:12
“Confirming the souls of the disciples and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we may through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God,” Acts 14:22
One of the best things about being an avid reader is the happy ending that appears at the end of almost every book I read. When you first dive into a new book, you begin to get familiar with the characters and their life. Each turn of the page takes us along on their journey, revealing to us their joys and sadness, hardships and pain. By the time we reach those last few pages, everything has worked itself out. There’s almost always a reason for celebration and the typical “aww” moment, especially if you’re into romance novels.
That’s the great thing about books. They allow your imagination to soar, taking you into worlds you may not otherwise get a chance to explore. Your mind’s eye becomes connected to the writer’s vision for the book, and soon a vivid story begins to unfold before you. Though there are no pictures, illustrations begin to form, revealing all that is written therein. Television has its place – oh, but to read a book!
Whether it’s a movie, a television program, or a book, the stories we hear and see transport us, giving us a reprieve from reality. But when the last page is read or the screen goes blank, it’s back to reality. And reality isn’t always as picturesque as the stories we left behind. Sometimes love does not find its way. Sometimes the bad guy does get away. Sometimes the hero doesn’t make it home. Sometimes the disease doesn’t heal. Sometimes the child does not find their way home. Sometimes the friend does not stick closer than a brother, and so on.
Sometimes life is just not fun! I think more so than ever that we have not heard enough about the reality of life. Instead, we are raising up a generation of rose-colored glasses wearers. Even from the pulpit of most American churches, the messages of peace, prosperity, and wealth have taken over the reality of life. Jesus Christ Himself clearly stated that in the world you will have tribulation (John 16:33). Peace and blessings will come. Promises will be fulfilled, but our physical being is living in the world right now, and while we are here, we have to face the reality that everything, every day, is not going to be easy.
This philosophy breeds a culture of disillusionment. Romanticizing life leaves one totally off guard and taken aback when troubling times come. A hard life is a hard life, no matter which way you look at it, and when one is not ready in the least for it, the residual effects can be devastating. “We may through much tribulation enter the kingdom of God.” It is going to be hard sometimes.
“Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you,” 1 Peter 4:12. In other words, the test is going to be hard sometimes. Tests are not passed with a fly-by-night attitude. Tests are passed when people are prepared for them. But the wearer of the rose-colored glasses will have a harder time because the tests seem like a “strange thing” that has happened to them.
Listen, prepared or not, some things in life will just come out of the blue and whip your world around, causing you to say, “What the what?” It’s inevitable. The idea behind not romanticizing life is to expect the unexpected. We don’t want to lose out on those promises God has for us because we have the false illusion that nothing will ever happen to us.
The promises are coming, that’s a given. In John 16:33, after Jesus warned, “In the world ye shall have tribulation,” He also gave us cause to celebrate. He said, “But be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” And after Peter wrote of the “strange thing,” he exhorted his readers with verses 13-14a. He said, “But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you . . .”
Oh yes, thank God for the promises. Every word that speaks of them is true. But don’t be surprised when we have to go through some stuff today before we reach those promises.
When was the last time you laughed out of pure joy? Not a giggle here and there, but from true happiness inside, the inner expression of the heart that cannot be contained?
To laugh like this is the outer proof that something wonderful has transpired inside. This type of enjoyment with life cannot flow from an empty well, so to speak. And if you haven’t laughed from pure joy in this way in a while, what is the well that you are daily drawing from filled with? Perhaps it’s not the lack of expression of laughter that’s the problem, because that will be a natural occurrence when one is filled with those things that will naturally produce it.
Then, there must be a problem with what’s in our joy tanks. There must be a depletion of those things that will, without effort, produce joy.
Today, in the natural, you can make a conscious effort to fill your life with those things that bring you delight and enjoyment. It can be something as simple as changing how you view a mundane routine and making it a place where the work may be mundane, but beautiful joy can be found in the work. It could also be as simple as changing thought patterns and where one chooses to focus. Philippians 4:8 helps us with this, saying, “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”
God wants us to enjoy the beauty this life can offer: “And I commend joy, for man has nothing better under the sun but to eat and drink and be joyful, for this will go with him in his toil through the days of his life that God has given him under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 8:15, ESV).
While those things are good, true joy doesn’t begin or end there, and we should not rest or be solely content with a natural filling. As we are making the effort to fill our lives with the things that bring us joy, we must be even more mindful not to leave out the greatest source of joy found in the spiritual.
In heaven, we are going to know the extreme happiness of “joy unspeakable” (1 Peter 1:8), but even now, that kind of joy is ours for the taking because when we are filled with Christ, who is the ultimate reason for joy tanks being filled, the overflow of all He is in us will saturate our very lives from the inside out.
Trust me, my friend, we may not fully comprehend how it will all be or turn out in our tomorrows or future forever, but we can surely act on what we know today. Today, we know that we can laugh with pure joy because pure joy is what Christ brings to our lives. Today, we can focus our hearts on filling our joy tanks with Him, knowing that our wells cannot help but overflow in happiness and all that blessed pleasure that comes as a result from on high.
The Lord Jesus spoke this beautiful summary, saying, “These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full” (John 15:11). Life may seem rough at times but there was a great exchange that took place at that cross on Calvary that gave us the great privilege of laying down what is burdensome and picking up a life filled with JOY!
Friend, look into your cabinet now and see how many things have an expiration date. But as children of God, we have His unexpiring word to cling to. We have this blessed assurance in every promise God has bestowed on us. Sometimes the journey will be harder than we would like it to be, yet the assurance remains the same, for “God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?” (Numbers 23:19). Even if your days feel like you are standing on shakey ground, His promises are still immovable. Even if you don’t understand, His words are still true and will hold through the test of time, even to the very end: “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away” (Matthew 24:35).
Friends, this is the season when one seeks coziness and comfort. With the chill, and sometimes frigid temperatures in the air, warm blankets and hot mugs call us to snuggle inside. While much pleasure can be taken in this time of “tucking in,” in our walk of faith we may be called to unwrap ourselves from comfort to get uncomfortable. We may be asked to shed our comfort zone dwellings to step into new territories the Lord has for us. Like Abraham, our life must be directed by faith more than comfort: “By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went” (Hebrews 11:8). Where will you allow God to take you with your “by faith” moment?
Friends, billions of hearts, minds, arms, and legs have walked the face of this earth. But none are you. The intricacies that consist of the makeup of your person areuniquely designed by the Creator. When He fashioned you, He saw the beauty of who you are and would become. You are a designer original who can say with King David, “I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made…” (Psalm 139:14). Yes, you are.
Friends, some days it seems as if peace surrounds our very life, and others it feels like war. Regardless of the circumstances we face today, the war we face daily, knowingly or unknowingly, is real, and to keep our standing sure and steadfast we are encouraged to suit up against principalities, powers, rulers of darkness, and spiritual wickedness (Eph. 6:12). Our Heavenly Father has supplied the means for daily victory, armament to help amid these spiritual contentions. Still, we are the ones that must “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil” (Ephesians 6:11; for more encouragement, click here).
Friend, isn’t it encouraging to know that no dismal state, regardless of how low the clouds may hang or how much shade is cast over one, who we are or were, through Christ, is made totally new. The grace of His love and sacrifice given to us is a picture so wonderful, who would not want to turn to Him and receive this great exchange? For He will “Give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified” (Isaiah 61:3).
