by Julie Zine Coleman @JulieZColeman

My little cousin Betsy was three years old one September when a family friend took her into downtown Chicago on the train. Wanting to further the youngster’s education, the woman pointed out the many trees seeming to fly by their windows. “Do you see all these green trees? In just a few weeks they will all be turning pretty colors, like red, yellow, or orange. Then the leaves will fall to the ground and die. We call that time of year fall, because of the falling leaves.”

Betsy stared out the window at the greenery racing by. “Well,” she replied slowly, “Only the deciduous ones.”

Every October, I taught my fifth graders about the falling leaves. Students were surprised to discover that the pretty colors on display in the fall had been present in the leaves all along. Those red, orange, or yellow pigments remain hidden during the growing season by the bountiful number of green-pigmented chlorophyll cells.

Eventually, however, the waning sunlight and changing temperatures signal it is time for the deciduous plant to drop its leaves in preparation for the winter ahead. The leaves are cut off from their supply of water and nutrients. First to die are the chloroplasts. As the green fades away, the colors which had been masked all summer are finally revealed. For a few short days, the leaves glow in a final blaze of glory before dropping to the ground.

Fall is a season of death.  It is also a season of glory.

God has fit death into natural order in such a way that death has a fundamental purpose. Death makes room for life. Paul embraced this notion when he wrote, “Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4 NASB).

John the Baptist understood this principle. “He must become greater,” he told his disciples, “I must become less.” The New Testament gives a clear call to believers: we must die to self in order to live for Christ.

What exactly does this mean for the writer? It means setting aside our own writing agenda for God’s purposes. It is a voluntary submission of our will for His. We submit to the Holy Spirit now dwelling in us; to His guidance, His purpose, His message.

As the chlorophyll dies, autumn leaves display the color that was present all along. We have been made new creatures in Christ. Now we must put to death that which remains within us that masks this reality, in order for the new creature to be displayed. And just as autumn leaves display a riot of color in their death, God’s glory will be revealed each time we surrender to Him.

Will what you are writing display His glory to your readers?

Julie Zine Coleman is an award-winning author, speaker, and member of the Pastoral Team at New Hope Chapel. She is the managing editor for the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association’s devotional website, Arise Daily. Julie holds a Master of Arts in Biblical Studies and has authored four books including Unexpected Love: God’s Heart Revealed through Jesus’ Conversations with Women and On Purpose: Understanding God’s Freedom for Women through Scripture, which was named The Golden Scrolls Book of the Year as well as The Selah Awards’ Director’s Choice. Julie and her husband have four grown children, six grandchildren, and one crazy Golden Retriever puppy.