Nature’s cycle of life is a sight to behold. Piles of dead leaves, once vibrant with golds, oranges, and reds, now lie brown on the ground, muffling the sounds of passing vehicles. Who knew trees boast a natural power, causing a purge?
As temperatures cool and autumn approaches, an expanding layer under the leaf’s stem breaks weaker cells, causing the leaf to drop. This process of cutting leaves loose is called abscission. Free of its leaves, the tree can preserve moisture during frigid winters and prepare for reproduction in spring.
Wow! Whenever God’s creation teaches another lesson concerning its magnificence, I’ve got to ask, what’s my takeaway? If trees know enough to dump leaves at just the right time to preserve life and ensure reproduction, I may consider doing the same. So, what does a human purge look like, and where might the power come from?
The wisdom from Hebrews 12 provides me with a profound insight, “Let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress. And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish.” This focus on Jesus is the key to our spiritual growth and personal development.
Sin is a weight I need to purge. Spurgeon said, “Little sins do mischief to a tender heart.” My experience with sin agrees with that. Allowing unrelenting fear, anxiety, unforgiveness, ungodly thoughts, jealousy, etc. to take up residence in my thinking causes a bitter and rebellious heart. I prefer dropping these leaves and keeping my heart tender.
And where do I get the power to purge my life of sin? The author of Hebrews says it well. Keeping our eyes on Jesus means reading and meditating on His words, learning how He endured the cross, death, and resurrection, and following His example. He did it by the power of God’s Spirit in Him, and we can do the same by staying connected to Him through prayer and scripture.
As a Christ follower, His Spirit lives in me. I communicate with Him and sense those things that cause my heart to lose tenderness. I ask Him to change my thinking and actions related to these sins. In my weakness to change, He gives His power to overcome those attitudes and actions that take away my peace and keep me from encouraging others. “And God has actually given us his Spirit (not the world’s spirit) so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.” (NLT: 1 Corinthians 2: 12 – 13)
Thanks for reading and Happy Thanksgiving. Always feel free to comment and share.