Fall

“…preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and exhort, with great patience and instruction” -2 Timothy 4:2

 

Well, here we are. It’s October and the season called Fall is upon us. We also call it Autumn, and it’s beautiful in the Ozarks and around the world. Winter, Spring and Summer are waiting in the wings. Just as nature’s seasons are awesome, life’s seasons are awesome and difficult as well.

The word autumn is derived from Latin autumnus,  possibly from the ancient Etruscan root autu- and has within it connotations of the passing of the year.  

After the Greek era, the word continued to be used as the Old French word autompne (automne in modern French) or autumpne in Middle English, and was later normalized to the original Latin. In the Medieval period, there are rare examples of its use as early as the 12th century, but by the 16th century, it was in common use.

Before the 16th century, harvest was the term usually used to refer to the season, as it is common in other West Germanic languages to this day (cf. Dutch herfst, German Herbst, and Scots hairst). However, as more people gradually moved from working the land to living in towns, the word harvest lost its reference to the time of year and came to refer only to the actual activity of reaping, and autumn, as well as fall, began to replace it as a reference to the season.

The alternative word Fall for the season traces its origins to old Germanic languages. The exact reason is unclear, with the Old English fiæll or feallan and the Old Norse fall all being possible candidates. However, these words all have the meaning "to fall from a height" and are clearly derived either from a common root or from each other. The term came to denote the season in 16th-century England, a contraction of Middle English expressions like "fall of the leaf" and "fall of the year." Compare the origin of spring from "spring of the leaf" and "spring of the year."

During the 17th century, Englishmen began emigrating to the new North American colonies, and the settlers took the English language with them. While the term Fall gradually became nearly obsolete in Britain, it became the more common term in North America. 

That is more history behind Fall than you might care about but Fall and Winter are important seasons for all of us. Seasons, in general, are important. Go ahead and throw Spring and Summer in there. As humans, we like and need verbiage to describe the seasons of life we’re living in and going through.

Unlike Earth, several planets don’t have seasons. Mercury, for instance, has little tilt so it just stays “warm”, to say the least. It averages 800 degrees F. daily. No change and very consistent weather, but not conducive for life and growth. Obviously, there is no life and growth on Mercury. 

When Paul wr0te his letter to Timothy, he was reminding him to be aware of the seasons. Of course, God has reasons for everything. Why did He create seasons? Perhaps it was to make us aware that He is in control. And when God is in control, things usually change quite often. Why? Because our God is a God of seasons and change and growth. Aristotle said, “Change in all things is sweet.”

Our wonderful God is a God of growth and without seasons, things, especially people, don’t grow. So, be “ready”, and let God have His way. Our wonderful God is a God of growth. He wants nothing but the best for us. Our life circumstances can be difficult at times. But God always has growth (the possibility of growth, if we’re obedient) as His motive for the difficulties and trials we’re going through.

Whatever season you’re in right now, be willing to lean on Him. Even when it makes no sense, God knows what He’s doing. Hot, cold, rainy, or stormy, He always has a plan, a very good plan, so may we all rest in His will. Enjoy the beauty of Fall and may His seasons spur us all to growth and contentment.

By Eric Joseph Staples ©

www.lifeaid101.com

Note: I try to post to the blog every few weeks. If you would like to receive the blog posts by email, you can subscribe to "parenting 101 by email" on the blog. Please pass these on to friends that could use the encouragement. If you’re getting this email yet you already receive the posts from blogger, let me know and I’ll remove you from this mailing list. Thanks. Have a great day in the Lord -JS