The alarm went off this morning and I slapped at it until I finally found the snooze button. I rolled over to see the sun still sleeping, so I too, drifted off again. I did this 2 more times until finally I realized that if I wasn't going to get up now I would just be mad at myself, plus Jeff was snoring, so might as well...
Several yawns and stretch or two later, I found myself tying double knots in my Mizuno running shoes and opening the door to the gray-blue clouds of Monday morning. The sun was hidden somewhere up there, but it must have hit the snooze button a few times too. It was perfect running weather, 51 degrees - just cool enough to see my breath and stretch my jacket sleeves down to cover my hands for the first half a mile. And the scenery this time of year is a little piece of heaven. My 3 mile loop takes me past fields scattered with open space and moo'ing cows, and standing tall over and around these fields are trees changing color. They are sheer awesomeness. Fiery reds, butterscotch golds, and cheerful oranges. Filling my eyes with this beauty sure made those uphills worth it....
The changing of the leaves during my favorite season reminds me that God is ever-changing. In many ways I have never been a person who adapts well to change (just ask my family or my friend Mary, they will laugh and tell you many embarrassing childhood stories). I know change is necessary and important - but often I get comfortable in my routine of life and the alterations can make me anxious. This past year has been filled with changes. Changes in where I live, the church I serve, where I call home, and the person I now work with is also the person I'm married to. Our little family of pets has taken on another dog, which means changes in the amount of time it takes me to wipe off muddy paws in the morning.
I think sometimes, as Christians, we get too comfortable with God. We want God to fit our world and our beliefs just right. But the reds, golds, and oranges remind us that God (whose love is constant and unchanging) is never static. Creation is a perfect example of God's newness and life everyday. If God stayed the same all the time, then the leaves wouldn't be so awesome in the Fall, and they wouldn't give new life in the Spring. And just as true as this is for the earth, so it is for us. If God wanted me to sleep in everyday and forego the beauty of the morning, then God wouldn't have made Jeff snore. (Just kidding...) God wants abundant life for us, whatever that might look like. And sometimes, we need to step aside and let the colors of our lives change a little bit so that God's reds, and golds, and oranges, can shine through.
These are just some thoughts on a Monday morning...they will probably change tomorrow... :)
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