S04E020, Autumn, Death and Life, Andy B 2 Minute Video

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After seeing some beautiful images of Autumn, or Fall – depending on what part of the world you live in – Andy B got thinking about cycles of life.

Because in life, just like those leaves, what can seem the end, can also just be the beginning of something else, and new.

As Christians of transformation makes sense when we first come to faith. But as we progress along our journeys, we can become far too comfortable with things that have simply past their Use By Date. Or we cling on to who we were, rather than letting go of the past in order to become who God is desiring us to become.

Sometimes what seems to be the end, is simply just the beginning. And sometimes, what we want to begin, can’t start until we let go of something and let it fade away or die off.

Just a thought...

Andy B

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So another Andy B 2 Minute Video and I saw a post the other day of 2 photos.

On the one side were leaves falling off the trees, making a bit of a mess on the floor. And the other side, there was a second photo, and this was the leaves put into a nice pretty pile.

And this got me thinking about, as we enter autumn, or fall as the Americans would call it. I much prefer the word fall. It makes sense. But as we enter Autumn, of Fall, we see leaves falling from the trees, and we see death. We see these leaves literally dying off and then falling. And as they enter the next part of their life cycle they fall to the floor. And if we don't tidy them up, they then go back into the earth and put nutrients back in.

And this got me thinking about our Christian life, and how, as we get older, we walk through life, there are things that end. As we get older there are things we can't do anymore. We get too old to do them.

Perhaps you're too old to drive. Your eyes have gone. Or getting up out of a chair is really, really hard work. And we can see that as an end, and as a as a bad thing. But, actually, just like the leaves falling off the tree, when things come to an end, new things can live.

Now we're not talking about people dying. We're talking about things stopping. Just like the leaves falling, and that cycle that happens there.

But actually, through our lives, as we get older, there are things we can't do. There are things that change. Projects, jobs, situations.

I'm a stay at home dad and, at some point, my children will leave, and I won't be a stay at home Dad. I can see that as a really bad thing. Or, I can see it as an opportunity for something new.

When Mount Saint Helens erupted and it destroyed the forests for miles around, one really fascinating thing happened, which I learned in my geography, is the trees were blown away. They were knocked apart by the force of the explosion from Mount Saint Helens. But, as a result of those forests being utterly decimated, and wiped out, new plants and shrubs, that had been dormant for years, were able to grow, because they weren't in the shadow of these big trees. And as good as these trees were, when the trees had gone, other things could have new life.

Which makes us think of the resurrection, doesn't it? Jesus died that we can have life.

So, where in your life are you finding there's something that you've been doing for a long time, or a short time. You really enjoy it. It's really good. It's part of who you are. Part of your identity, and it's coming to an end, or it's come to an end.

Don't necessarily see that as a bad thing. Because it could also be an opportunity for God to do something brand new in your life.

As something ends, God can help us to do something new.

Don't be afraid to say no.

Don't be afraid to lose things, and let go with things

Open your hands and say, God, what's next, what do you want me to do to serve you?

Just a thought…