Jake hauled another tarp full of leaves back to the woods. As he returned to the yard, he groaned. There were still so many piles. At least he wasn’t alone. He made his way over to the table with the snacks and drinks. He downed a water bottle and rubbed the sweat from his forehead on his sleeve.
Mike approached and slapped him on the shoulder. “Getting a little warm?”
Jake snorted. “Yeah. This is a lot of work.”
“It certainly is, which is why Mrs. Brewster can’t do it. Could you imagine trying to take care of this yard at age eighty?”
“I can barely handle it at 16.”
Mike laughed. “Well, you don’t have to handle it all. I was pleased to see so many of the youth turn out today to help. Not all mission projects need to be done overseas. Helping Mrs. Brewster is a mission as well.”
Jake kicked at a walnut that hadn’t yet been tossed into the woods. “I don’t know about that. Leaves are such a waste of time. I mean, what’s the point? All they do is make a big mess to clean up.”
Mike studied Jake for a moment. “I have a lot to say about that, but I’m going to save it for the bonfire later. Let’s get the rest of these leaves finished.”
Jake joined the rest of the youth and after another hour, the yard was free from leaves, sticks and walnuts. They piled into the church van and headed back to the church grounds.
After cooking hot dogs and s’mores over the fire, the teens sat back in their camp chairs, swapping stories and singing songs. At a lull in the chatter, Mike cleared his throat.
“Boys and girls, thank you so much for your service today. Mrs. Brewster was immensely blessed by your gift of time and your labors.” He stood, as all eyes turned to him. “Jake asked me a question today. He asked what was the point of leaves. I spent a little time thinking about that, and this is what I came up with.” He extended his pointer finger. “One, leaves help the world. They convert sunlight into nutrients, absorb carbon dioxide and give off oxygen, and provide shade.”
Jake frowned. “Yeah, but that’s all while they’re on the trees. What good do they do once they fall off? They just make a mess that we have to clean up.”
Mike lifted his eyebrows. “True, but I wasn’t finished yet. When leaves fall to the ground, they put nutrients in the soil. And they add beauty and color to the world. Leaves are beautiful when they’re green and new, and they’re beautiful when they change colors. Just like we are all beautiful, no matter what stage of life we’re in. Change is inevitable in life. And like the leaves, we all must die. The trees don’t hold on to their leaves as they’re dying. Likewise, God doesn’t want us to hold on to unnecessary things in our lives. The Bible tells us we are a new creation. We should be letting the unwholesome things fall from our lives.”
Will poked a stick into the fire. “You sure have a lot to say about leaves.”
Mike grinned. “Oh, I’m just getting started. I have another whole leaf life-lesson for you.”
Jake groaned. “I’ve created a monster.”
Mike shook his head. “You knew there would b a lesson at the bonfire tonight. You just inspired the theme of the lesson. Here’s what I really want you to take away from the lesson of the leaves.”
“The leaves are green because of chlorophyll. As they start detaching from the tree, they stop producing the chlorophyll.”
“Please, no, not a science lesson,” Will said.
Megan threw a marshmallow at him. “Shut up and let Mike talk.”
“Thanks, Megan.” Mike glanced her way. “As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, the leaves stop producing chlorophyll, and that allows their natural colors – the reds, yellows, and oranges to shine through. It’s through the process of dying that they truly become beautiful. The Bible tells us we must die as well. We must die to self. Once we do that, Christ’s glory can truly shine through us.”
“So this autumn, instead of grumbling about all the leaves you need to clean up, take a moment to look around you. Not only at the leaves and their beauty, but think about what they represent. I want you all to take some time to pray. We’re going to be silent for a few minutes. Ask God to show you what in your life represents dying, decaying leaves, and ask Him to remove those things from your life. And then ask Him to reveal Himself in you. Ask Him to help you die to self so His colors can shine through.”
Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.
Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.
Dear God, it’s easy to look at things in this world based on whether they are convenient or inconvenient for us. Instead, help us see what you have designed them for. Thank you for the beauty of the autumn, for the cool crisp air, for the gorgeous leaves, for cornstalks and pumpkins, and all the season entails. Please help us remove the things from our lives that are not pleasing to you. Help us to die to ourselves and allow You to live in our hearts, our minds, and our actions. Thank you for surrounding us with a visual reminder of Your love for us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
A beautiful lesson on what leaves teach us.
I’m glad you liked it!