A Time to Uproot

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acorns, annuals, apple picking, autumn, distractions, Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, football games, hummingbirds, perennials, pumpkins, social media, squirrels, uproot

    Autumn begins officially on September 22nd this year. We think of cooler temperatures, football games, and colored leaves. It’s also time for apple picking, pumpkins, and harvesting the last crops in our gardens. Gardeners among us need to uproot annuals that are starting to look tired after blooming all summer long. Their beauty is fading and we are anxious to replace them with chrysanthymums and other hardy fall favorites. The days are growing shorter and the nights are lengthening. We make preparations for these changes and so do the animals. Squirrels are gathering acorns, birds are again frequenting feeders and hummingbirds are readying for their departure to their winter home.

As I read Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 this morning, I focused on the line “a time to plant and a time to uproot.” Spring is the time to plant and look forward to the rebirth of favorite trees and perennials. What was once brown begins to show signs of life. In autumn the opposite occurs. Grass is beginning to wither and crops like corn and soybean are drying in the fields. Soon they will be uprooted and the fields will lay bare. Maybe it’s time we uprooted the unnecessary things in our lives. Perhaps we need to do some “autumn cleaning.” I need to spend more time in scripture, more time listening to Christian music, and more time reaching out to others. I first need to weed out the interruptions that I allow to consume my waking hours. That means less time on social media and less time “relaxing” with television programs and secular music. Join me as I uproot the distractions and spend more time with the Lord. How can I hear Him when I’m occupied with frivolous activities? Yes, it’s time to uproot and plan more time with God.

 

Time to Uproot!

Tags

acorns, autumn, Goodwill, hibiscus, hummingbirds, Master Gardener, mountain spider lilies, prayer life, seasonal change, Serenity Prayer, squirrels, time, uprooting

Ecclesiastes 3:1-2 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot

Autumn is almost upon us. We mark the beginning as next Wednesday, September 23rd, but God’s creatures are already preparing for the change. The garden on the side of my house has lost its summer glow. The mountain spider lilies were reduced to bare stalks as were the perennial hibiscus. The leaves have fallen from the Japanese quince, and acorns are falling from the oaks. It was time to pull the bare stalks yesterday and gather the last seeds for planting in the spring. The hummingbirds are active as they prepare to depart for their winter home. It’s a sad time in some ways, a time to say goodbye or uproot, but there’s always the promise of next year. God is in control and life will go on as He planned.

As I worked in the garden yesterday, I couldn’t help but think of the things we need to uproot in our lives. Squirrels are storing nuts to carry them through the winter. What am I doing personally in this time of uprooting? Perhaps, no, not perhaps, but certainly, it is time for me to do some uprooting. Time to get rid of the dead things in my life like time wasted being concerned with things outside of my control (remember the Serenity Prayer!), clothes that might be donated to Goodwill as well as books and “treasures” that would bring a smile to someone else, a fresh look at my devotional and prayer time, and so much more. Time to prepare my heart for what God has in store for me in the next season. Time to stop resisting change and let the Master Gardener do His work in me. Help me clean up my life, dear Lord, and prepare for the next season You have planned in my life!