Letting Go of the Leaves

Psalm 55:22
Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.

1 Peter 5:7
Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

I was walking down the hall at work, a walkway with top to bottom windows, when I paused to peer out at the woods that surrounds our campus. Some of the trees already donned their autumn wardrobe. As I watched for a moment, a tree let go of a leaf and sent it tumbling to the ground. The deciduous trees sense winter is coming, so they begin their hibernation by letting go of the old leaves. Once the brilliance of fall ends, the leaves cover the ground and the tree hopes for a new season in the spring.  

That single leaf falling to the ground reminded me of the seasons in life. The ones where we need to let go of old things. Maybe a sin from the past that hangs on with hawk like talons. A sorrow so great, your heart breaks over and over. Words that sliced you like a knife. Or words you flung at someone else. The baggage we hold onto weighs us down. Like the trees, God wants us to let go and place our burdens and cares in his hands.

The trees were created by God to sense the time to let go. As believers, he gives us his word that tells us to cast our cares and anxieties on him and he'll take care of us. I know I need to trust God with my heartaches and my burdens. I know, like the trees do that there's a time to let my problems drop into his hands and let him take care of me. God loves us so much. The desire of his heart is for us to pour out our hearts to him. If you have a sin, a sorrow, a worry, a confession—tell Jesus. He listens and forgives. He helps us move on to the next season. Praise God, he loves us so much!