Heaven’s Confetti

Autumn is my favorite time of year! Maybe because I grew up in Michigan. I’m not sure, but something about the cooler weather just energizes me! I love when the crisp mornings come and it’s time to pull out the box of sweaters and boots. The fall wardrobe is the best!

But the joy of autumn is truly found in the way that nature changes and adapts to the hard winter ahead. I have realized in my travels that not all get to experience the wonders of fall but those who do it is certainly a privilege! Trees and bushes become God’s canvas for the most beautiful paintings. Greens turn to reds, yellows, oranges, purples and pinks. And for a couple of weeks everywhere you look is clothed in color. But slowly the trees lose their leaves. They fall to the ground where they become brown and crunch under our shoes. Do we mourn the leaves? Do we cry as the trees become more and more barren? No, because we know that winter is just for a season and spring will come again along with little green buds of promised leaves. We know the end of the story, winter will leave and spring will come!

There is a well-loved story in the Bible about Jesus coming too late, or did He? Mary, Martha and Lazarus had been some of Jesus’ closest friends on earth. They loved and trusted Him dearly. When Lazarus was sick, who was the first person that came to their minds, well Jesus of course, He could help them. But then He didn’t come! He waited for 3 days and then He came! Lazarus was dead before Jesus ever came and the questions in Mary and Martha’s hearts were heavy and overwhelming. Why had Jesus abandoned them when they needed Him most? Well you probably know the story! Jesus then calls Lazarus out of the grave and raises him from the dead, one of most incredible miracles from His time on earth.

So imagine if Mary and Martha had known the end of the story. Imagine if they knew that their dear brother would be raised from the dead. Do you think they may have looked at the whole situation much differently? They would have faced the trial with courage and hope because they knew the end of the story. We know the end of the story, we know that Jesus died on the cross and rose again, that He has promised to come and take us all home to live forever with Him. He came once, history proves it, so we can trust He will keep His promise again.

When the winds blow through the tress, leaves of all colors gently fall to the ground. Heaven’s confetti, a promise of a new life. We can live with hope and assurance of a God who loves us and has a better plan than we could ever imagine. But don’t miss something, Jesus cried at the grave. He understands our tears, our pain, and our inner turmoil as we face trials of great pain and discouragement. He cries when we cry. But we can live with hope that all will be explained someday. That the God who started this story of humanity is going to be an end to sin and death. Seasons will come and go in our lives. There will be times that leave us shattered but live with hope. When Satan blows at you and you feel like you have lost all. Cling to the promise that God understands and He won’t abandon you. He will turn this into something beautiful. Romans 8:28

We can find joy in our hearts in all situations because we know the end of the story. We can find Heaven’s confetti in the midst of every trial.

Somewhere in the mountains of Colorado (Oct. 1)