A time of both beginnings and endings
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FOOD FOR THOUGHT: By Rev Heather Stewart, Parish of Latheron
The autumn season has truly arrived. The nights are dark earlier; our homes need some heating; the leaves are falling from the trees and the farmers are at harvest.
For some people autumn is a time of visible change and inevitable decay: a time when all around us seems to be fading away. It can be a time of sadness as we witness our hard work dying off, and look ahead to the bleakness of the winter that will follow afterwards.
I, however, like the autumn. It has for a number of years been my favourite season – as a child going back to school after the long summer holiday; getting a brand new jotter with blank pages ready to be filled with newly gained knowledge; as a teacher meeting new classes of pupils; as a crofter’s wife there was the huge relief to see the crops safely gathered in, and so on. Autumn is the season when gardeners and farmers get the reward for all their hard work of spring and summer.
Autumn also helps us to see the passage of time – it is a time to reflect on where we have come from and where we need to go. This is the season filled with anticipation. Autumn is a season of fruition and reaping. It is a season of thanksgiving and celebration and a season of encouragement as we witness the changes in God's earth and in His kingdom.
Autumn may also be the time to resume old routines. Autumn brings the last of the warmth and comfort before the cold of winter. It is a time of both beginnings and endings. Harvest isn’t just about dead leaves, decay and darkness. It can also be a time for new beginnings; a time to get rid of old destructive habits; a time to look forward in hope, to make new beginnings.
Seasons come and go in nature and in our lives but we can be sure that “the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations” (Psalm 100).
