It is a true Virginian autumn for the first time in the Dahir family existence-- where the beautiful color of green has changed to a rainbow of vibrant oranges, reds, yellows and purples. Children are outside raking leaves and playing football in the yard. And I am craving hot apple cider and my favorite drink from Starbucks--a grande vanilla with foam Americano— as the weather has shifted into a crisp coolness. It is the season where anticipation begins to brew as Thanksgiving and Christmas are just around the corner. In a nutshell, there is change in the air and it makes me smile. So here is the question of the day! How is it that all of this change causes my heart to skip and fond memories percolate but many of the changes in my life, in my family and in my country bring fear? Why is that? Why didn’t I wake up this morning and wish that it were the spring again, or maybe summer? Why aren’t my emotions exploding inside of my heart due to the fact that all of the leaves are falling off of my trees? After careful thought and consideration about the cause of this peace rather than fear, I came to this conclusion-- I can look outside my window, see all of this change in my own front yard and have it bring a smile to my face instead of a tear to my eye, because I have trust and faith in the future. You see, I know that this season will pass. I am also aware that if the trees do not lose their leaves and the flowers become dormant, then we will not get to enjoy our spring that is coming around the corner. I have so much faith that these changes are here to help us and not hurt us that it actually causes me to worship the Lord because of the beauty before me. Let’s apply this to whatever scary changes might be happening in our country or in our lives. Do you wake up wondering what the Lord is doing and why has He allowed this change in your life? Do the emotions begin in your heart and, as you try to stop them from surfacing, you feel them get stuck in the top of your throat, threatening to choke you if you do not find a release? Do these changes bring insecurity and fear? Imagine if we did not understand why the leaves were falling off the trees and we really thought that we would not see green again. Everyone would be freaking out! The media would be blaming the republicans, and we would be listening to the experts in the field of botany share all of their opinions and thoughts. We would ask God why would He allow the leaves to fall. As if we loved that leaf! We would be sleepless, wondering what He was thinking. Scripture is full of insights that have given assistance to His people in the midst of some of the most difficult situations.

Insights From God’s Own Journal- The Bible
1. There is an order to our presumed chaos
Genesis 1:14-15
And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth." And it was so.

It was God himself who set the seasons in motion and gave framework to our time and our method of growth. Growth is a process that can be quite frustrating, but each step we take will only bring fulfillment and allow the Lord to shine through us.

2. He has chosen whom to put in charge of our surroundings, but we choose who will rule us!
Daniel 2:21
He changes times and seasons; he sets up kings and deposes them. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.

One of the big changes that has happened this week is the election of a new leader in the White House. Our responsibility now is to pray for our new president and continue to communicate godly principles as often as possible. However, beyond the call to support our new leader through prayer, we are not subject to him. We are subject to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords only. It is nice to be an American citizen, but our first citizenship is in heaven. It is by that authority that we make our decisions and live our lives.

3. The Lord will bring new life in His time…
Ezekiel 34:26
I will bless them and the places surrounding my hill. I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessing.

I am finding that possessing patience for God’s direction and healing can be one of the most grueling processes. But we must never forget that the Lord has great plans of blessing for each of us, and our responsibility is to simply stay focused.

4. If we are to be driven by fear, let it be fear of our God!
Jeremiah 5:24
They do not say to themselves, 'Let us fear the LORD our God, who gives autumn and spring rains in season, who assures us of the regular weeks of harvest.'

The times when my emotions are the most difficult to sort out and confusion begins to rule my day are the times when I begin to fear my surroundings. I have always believed that we worship that which we fear. You see once we decide to fear something we put our time, our money, our emotions to work to deal with that fear. Once we can understand how mighty and wonderful our Lord is the only thing we need to fear is Him. As that fear and respect is in place for our God everything else falls in place. It is then that I won’t worry about my finances because He is powerful enough to supply. It is then that health issue is no longer my issue, but His. It is then that I can surrender all of my yesterday, today, and especially my tomorrow.

In closing, there are many scriptures that encourage us to press through each season of life, and each of them point us to walking in faith and trust in our Lord. I have decided to try and find beauty in the changes of this season and, in the meantime, pray for the Lord to build up my faith and trust in Him. From the beginning of time there has been order and an ultimate plan to God’s creation. It is up to us to submit our lives and allow God’s will to unfold as the proverbial leaves fall off of life’s branches. I believe that you will find new growth in His time and in His way.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
1 There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:
2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
6 a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.