October 30: Preparing for the Next Season
- Scripture: Isaiah 43:19 — “See, I am doing a new thing; now it springs up; do you not perceive it?”
- Reflection: God is always preparing us for new seasons. Be attentive and open to what’s emerging. Expectantly await God’s new work in your life.
What are some of the cycles that take place in autumn? And can you see metaphors for change that leads to new life, legacy, and even resurrection, in your life? Some things are decomposing, to transform into a different state of being or matter, that will once more sustain life. Some creatures are moving to different climes where they will thrive. Some plants and animals become dormant, growing quiet and resting, while life continues its stirrings within them. Sleep and dormancy may even appear life death, yet it is not. It is the womb of rebirth.
In plants:
1) Seed and fruit production: Many plants, like oaks, produce and drop their seeds (acorns) for the next generation.
2) Root growth: Some plants, such as grapevines, focus energy on developing new roots to prepare for the next growing season.
3) Fungal growth: Mushroom species, which are the fruiting bodies of underground fungi, begin to sprout in forests.
In animals:
1) Migration: Many birds, butterflies, and other animals travel to warmer climates for more abundant food and better breeding conditions.
2) Hibernation: Animals like groundhogs, chipmunks, and bats begin to hibernate or enter a deep sleep to conserve energy through winter.
3) Food storage: Animals like squirrels collect and store nuts for the winter months when food is scarce.
4) Decomposition: The bodies of dead plants and animals begin to decompose, returning nutrients to the soil. - Spiritual Practice: Find time for stillness, listening, and discernment. Welcome an attitude of readiness for whatever may be emerging in your life.
Song:
- Emerge by Revelation City Music: https://youtu.be/DRIvYey26VQ?si=qS7wKeReSRwB_VDO
Change does not take place easily but through painful emergence. ― Lailah Gifty Akita
Emerging from a story, a poem, the Earth, a time in history, or from the body of our mothers is sometimes explosive, chaotic, frightening, yet always awe-inspiring and humbling. We can use the energy to create fresh structures, or we can destroy or be destroyed. The energy can have power over us or empower us, and even what is destructive might clear the debris so that fresh life can emerge from embers or ashes. ― Joy Harjo
Oct 30 Daily Devotional