Beauty to Come

 

It is that time of year – my favorite time of year – autumn.   I patiently (or impatiently) wait for these few weeks of autumn all year long.  The crisp air, the beautiful breeze, the mums, the pumpkins, the apples – I love it all.  Yet, what I wait for in anticipation the most is the leaves.  The leaves are truly an amazement to me.  On this earth that God graciously gave us, we see the beauty of color all around us.  The leaves are just one small gift of beauty.  The blue sky, the white clouds, the green grass, the yellow sunflowers, the orange carrots, the red apples.  The list goes on and on with the beauty of color. 

This year, the gentle colors have started a little early – easing their way into autumn’s beauty.  It’s as if the leaves are giving us a bit of a foretaste of what we can expect.  We know, every year without disappointment, there will be an array of colors to brighten our world.  I thought about the foretaste that Jesus has provided.  Foretaste is inferred a few times in the Bible.  It is always referenced in the goodness that will be coming. 

        “…set his seal of ownership on us and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what   is to come.”        2 Corinthians 1:22

    “Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose id God, who has given us the Spirit as a   deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.”  2 Corinthians 5:5

This beautiful world that God gifted us is our foretaste of what is to come.  The beauty that we see is just a small glimpse into the beauty that God has waiting for us in heaven.  Beauty here on earth can be seen in so many different places.  Yes, the leaves share their brilliance, but there is also beauty where we may least expect it.  A smile, a hug, a note of kindness, a caring touch, a prayer.  All of this and so much more is the foretaste of what we will receive in our eternal city of heaven.  How incredible that day will be!  We will see Jesus’ face and all the beauty he has in store for us. 

May the foretaste of the leaves changing remind you of the foretaste of the gates of heaven!  You, my friend, have a place in heaven; a place that has been prepared just for you!  Be the beauty for someone else as Jesus is the beauty for us.

Heavenly Father, thank you for the autumn leaves.  As we know beauty will abound  us through this season;  may we be reminded of the eternal beauty you have waiting for us in heaven.  Help us be reminded of how we can be the beauty in others’ lives here on earth as we await the beauty guaranteed to us in heaven.  Amen!