Fall Leaves, Change, and Ornamentation
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It’s that time of year again. The leaves on the trees turn into beautiful ornaments, gracing the branches in unusual hues. Then they fall through the sky like snowflakes and color the ground where we walk, creating nobler paths beneath our feet.
It’s that time again.
Here is my question—my driving question: Where are you changing colors? Where are you ornamenting your surroundings? And where are you leaving pieces of yourself behind so others can stand on the ground where you’ve been?
In short: How are you like a fall leaf?
God is always renovating our hearts, minds, and souls with His skilled hands. But changing colors gives us a different view of ourselves than a renovation project. It’s about what others see when they look at us. It makes me ask: Where am I getting sweeter? Where am I growing more pleasant to look at—spiritually speaking?
Perhaps it comes through a combination of vulnerability and the plain, powerful work of God’s hand—the Holy Spirit.
To me, this is one of the most beautiful parts of life: seeing people change because of Jesus. I love it. It’s evidence of His grace and a wide, encompassing hug from the Spirit.
This is how I want to be too—vulnerable, in the right contexts and at the right times.
Vulnerability joined with the Holy Spirit’s work makes us sweeter to see. As we open our struggles to others, we become more pleasing to know. We share the Spirit’s power in our lives, for that is how sweet fruit grows. This is one way we ornament our surroundings in the way I’m contemplating this fall: through holy, outward expressions of our change as we walk in dialogue with others.
When we share how the Holy Spirit is working in us, we bless others. Like leaves gracing the sidewalk, our lives can make others’ paths lovelier through the comfort we ourselves receive from the Lord as we grow (2 Corinthians 1:4).
When others share their failures, growth, confessed sins, and change, they exemplify the gospel and remind me that we can be brave in our honesty because God has already declared us righteous. Those who walk in the light want to come into the light so their deeds may be exposed, for the Lord is doing a good work (John 3:20–21).
So let me close by sharing one way the Lord is working in me: joy. I haven’t been a particularly joyful person in recent years. There have been moments of joy, but it hasn’t defined me, I confess. God is showing me that true joy comes only through Him—and that even in difficulty, I can still have joy.
I tend to explore difficult feelings to learn from them and surrender them to the Lord. But I’ve missed this key: to dive into joy at the same time—or even instead of analyzing my problems. I don’t have to wait for every emotional question to settle before I look to joy. Sometimes, problems are best set aside rather than dwelt upon.
So this is my prayer, my little change of hue, the ornamentation of the Spirit in my heart, and the leaf of color I leave in your path today: joy.
Fall '25 Decor
When visiting with my parents recently, I was inspired by my mom’s fall decor. Let me share it with you!
As I was photographing, I discovered a fall teacup that belonged to my maternal grandmother, a drawing by my daughter (sweet!), and some spoons that date back to 1908—handed down from my mom’s paternal side of the family.
Happy October.
God as Builder
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I want you to think with me about the common sentiment throughout Christian circles that God is always at work. He is at work in our lives. He is at work in the world. He is at work in the details. He is at work through the Church. He is at work in the hearts of rulers. He is at work in the presence of His people, where two or more are gathered. He is at work through the family unit. He is at work through the conviction of the Holy Spirit. God is at work.
This, I believe, is meant to be a rich blessing to our hearts. He is not absent, aloof, or unconcerned. He moves through our prayers and in our hearts. He is here.
Now, one analogy of His being at work is that of a builder.
Yes, a builder.
He is at work on our spirits, hearts, and minds through building.
Take a little excursion with me through the book of Nehemiah. Stick with me here. Nehemiah is first torn in two by the gates of the holy city Jerusalem being in disrepair. This is excruciating to him because Jerusalem is the treasured holy city of God’s people. It is where the temple served as the holy meeting place between God and Israel. It is consecrated to God and to His special presence. So, Nehemiah saw the walls of the city being down as a disgrace. The city should be complete, whole, and protected. Nehemiah was distraught.
Then, Nehemiah, with prayer and bravery, travels to Jerusalem and inspects the walls. He examines the project, gathers the materials and the men, and rebuilds the walls. Even through times of opposition, he completes the walls—and they are beautiful to him. He and the people turn to God’s Word in repentance, joy, and celebration. Those responses are what the finished wall and rebuilt temple inspired in the people of God.
Now, friends, I want you to shift your thinking to God Himself. He is the master builder—the one who laid the foundations of creation, the one who shot the stars into the sky out of nothing. He is the one who created and formed us according to His own wisdom and will. Do you think He is any less concerned for the spiritual temple He is building in your hearts than Nehemiah was for the physical city of God in the Old Testament?
I like to think that He comes to us with building plans.
I like to think that He comes to us with the materials.
I like to think that He comes to us despite outside opposition, being infinitely strong.
I like to think that He comes to us with this spiritual restoration of repentance, joy, and celebration.
What work is God doing in you? One of my trusted advisors recently told me that he is always hoping a renovation project by God is going on within himself.
We are the construction projects of God.
So, what is God doing in you? What plans for you as the holy temple of God is He setting before you now?
Let me give you three encouragements as you embark upon being the construction project of God.
You are not too far gone, and you have not ignored God for too long. He has a heart for you. Through the sacrifice of Jesus, the remission of sins, God has called you as His special treasure on this earth. Start the building project that God is doing within you by knowing that you are His treasure. Indeed, how could the temple of God be anything other than a treasure to Him? It is where His presence especially dwells through the Holy Spirit within you.
I want you to know that God is not done with you. Perhaps you are wondering what God will do next. Perhaps you have noticed many construction projects in your heart throughout the years, and you are grateful—eminently grateful. But lately, it may seem like you have arrived at a place of stability, and with that a lack of change. What is left to do, knowing that God has already done so much? Trust me, He can do more. He can keep building. He can keep drawing you up and into Himself. Don’t grow stagnant; God’s not done with you yet.
And finally, I want you to know that God gets the glory. He wants us to meet Him in these building projects and participate. I think Nehemiah’s hard work, alongside his fellow Israelites, is an apt metaphor. And yet, He provides all that is necessary for your building project to begin and be completed. Saying He gets the glory is not a way for me to chastise you away from self-glorification—though perhaps that reminder can serve us well too. What I am indicating is different: God gets glory through your life. What a cause for joy and celebration that your life and mine can be conduits for His fame and praise.
Where is God coming to you with blueprints to expand your heart, mind, and life? What building project is He starting within you? Come to Him with a willing heart and bright spirit. The Lord is pleased with you when you welcome Him as builder.