In Praise Of Fall

Seasons are really one of the most amazing aspects of human existence. Every few months, the world goes through a recalibration that impacts just about everything. Life is constantly on the move, ever changing.

And all of creation joins in the seasonal march.

Although each season has its own unique characteristics, autumn is - without a doubt - my favorite. Sunday is the fi rst day of fall, and I couldn’t be happier about it. With the notable exception of my overacting allergies, I love everything about this time of year.

The colors are amazing.

Few things in life are as spectacular as the changing of the leaves. Reds and oranges and yellows pop against the blue sky. Albert Camus wrote, “Autumn is a second spring, when every leaf is a fl ower.”

Fall also means the start of football season. The pageantry of teams taking the field. The irrational optimism of fans. The whole spectacle is infective.

I love the smells and tastes. There is a crispness in the air when fall fi nally arrives. With it, comes fresh-baked doughnuts and apple cider.

Winter may have Christmas. Spring may have Easter. Summer may have the Fourth of July. But fall holidays are - in my estimation - the best of the bunch.

Halloween is so much fun. I love walking with my kids through our neighborhood, seeing all the costumes, chatting with neighbors I rarely see, even imposing parental taxes on the candy my children bring home.

And Thanksgiving is amazing. The food. The traditions. The family gatherings. The parade followed by the wall-to-wall football games on television.

Even beyond the beauty, I am enraptured by all that fall represents.

Autumn is the beginning of the end. It is the annual reminder that nothing lasts forever. Not the heat of summer. Not the green grass. Not even the long days of sunshine.

And that’s OK.

Life was meant to move on. Seasons change. We don’t have to hold on to all that we grasped before.

We can let it go, knowing that just as sure as the leaves float to the ground in autumn, the trees will bud again in spring.

I read recently that more people attempt to reinvent themselves in September and October than in January. We normally think of New Year’s Day and the turn of the calendar as the time in which most people make big changes in their lives.

In fact, that time is now.

That seems appropriate to me. Truman Capote called fall the season of beginnings. I think it’s more than just the reality of returning to school. I think autumn carries with it a promise of renewal that inspires us.

We are inspired to fi nd unexpected beauty in the world.

We are inspired to remain hopeful even in the face of loss.

We are inspired to refuse to become stagnant in our lives.

We are inspired to drink deeply of life’s greatest blessings.

All of this inspiration - the beauty, the transformation, the richness - reminds me of God. The kind of God that would create a season like autumn is precisely the kind of God I want to worship.

L.M. Montgomery once said, “I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.”

I couldn’t agree more.

ROBB RYERSE IS THE PASTOR OF VINTAGE FELLOWSHIP IN FAYETTEVILLE AND THE AUTHOR OF “FUNDAMORPHOSIS: HOW I LEFT FUNDAMENTALISM BUT DIDN’T LOSE MY FAITH.” YOU CAN CONNECT WITH HIM AT FACEBOOK.COM/ROBB.RYERSE.