Autumn, which officially begins today, is a paradoxical season. As trees shed leaves, birds migrate, and days shorten, humans do the opposite. We start school, join groups, serve people, and accelerate our pace. As nature wraps up, most people ramp up.
People who serve others live at this intersection. We feel the increased burden of needs, the opportunity for harvest, the desire to grow closer to God, and the brevity of life. It’s tempting to think we can accomplish everything that needs to be done by Thanksgiving. If we do, we will miss what the season can teach us.
Parker Palmer reminds us that autumn is seed planting season.[i] As trees show off their brilliant colors and shed leaves, they sow seeds for next spring’s sprouts. Nature says, “We have accomplished everything we can this year. Let’s prepare for the future.” Autumn can also be a season of grief as people become more aware of their limitations. As a pastor, most of my funerals for older members occurred the week before or after Thanksgiving. Even people who could not respond verbally to a pastoral visit seemed to know when families were around for holidays. As the days grow shorter, we are reminded that we only have about 4,000 weeks to live on average.[ii] Autumn is also the season of harvest. Despite months of deluge and drought, God has again provided plenty to eat, relationships to steward, and gifts to share.
The good news is that God can plant seeds when our lives shed commitments, grieve loss, and harvest blessings. As James 5:7-8 says, farmers and gardeners teach us how to learn from autumn. They wait patiently and steadfastly for God to provide. They receive what nature gives and trust that God is right on time. They stand firmly, not anxiously, and rely on the promise of His presence. Because of autumn, they can meet the needs of their family and community through patient firmness.
This month, celebrate the harvest in your life. Review the spring and summer, noticing how God has brought fruit and blessings. Reflect on God’s provision and share your story with others.
Leave room for future growth by accepting your limits. Enjoy the beauty of the season by leaving space on your calendar. To paraphrase Barbara Brown Taylor, “’ No’ leaves room for the seeds of yes to be planted in the garden of our hearts.”[iii] We can’t enjoy the fruits of the harvest this year and tend to the most critical issues through the end of the year if we’ve said yes to everything that comes our way.
Sometimes, “no” is a personal decision we make. An opportunity comes, and we decline. “No” can also mean accepting one of life’s limitations. A goal didn’t work out, or a dream didn’t come true. During autumn, surrender what you hoped for so your heart can be cultivated for God’s seed of yes to be planted. You might even look back one day and be grateful for the closed path even more than the open one.
Finally, listen and seek wisdom from people like farmers and gardeners who understand autumn’s role in life. One of those people in my life was Ena Mae Butler, a centenarian who gardened, knitted, and wrote poetry her entire life. You need plenty of patient firmness if you live to be past 100. She had a quick wit and gave generously to everyone. Before she died, she shared this wisdom with me that applies to anyone learning from someone in the autumn of life:
“When your youthful days are gone, and old age is coming on,
And your body bends beneath the weight of care;
He will never leave you there, He’ll go with you to the end:
Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there.”
[i] Parker Palmer, Let Your Life Speak (San Francisco: Wiley Press, 2000), 98.
[ii] Oliver Burkeman, 4,000 Weeks: Time Management for Mortals (New York: Picador), 2021.
[iii] Barbara Brown Taylor, “Getting to No: Spaces for Yes to Grow,” Christian Century (Sept 18, 2007) https://www.christiancentury.org/article/2007-09/getting-no, accessed 9/4/2023.