Clinging
"The leaves are falling, the summer's gone. The winter's calling, I've got to move on."
A line from an old song once again starts the thought today. My grandson and I raked leaves one afternoon last week. While we raked we sang the old song above. Every few minutes my grandson's rake hit the ground and I was shown many treasures he found while raking. There were golden leaves shaped like stars. There were leaves that appeared to have faces etched on them. He found all colors, all shapes, all sizes and they were all beautiful treasures.
After a while, we knew we were fighting a losing battle. We both let our rakes fall to the ground and sat down in our pile of treasure. We looked up through the heavy shower of falling leaves. Some of the trees were already almost completely bare. At the very top of the tree with the golden star-shaped leaves was something that caught my attention. Still clinging on through the heavy shower of falling golden leaves was a summer green leaf that didn't seem to know the summer was gone and winter was calling. It had no intention of joining the other falling leaves and moving on.
I wondered what did that one leaf have that was so special that spared it from losing the battle and falling to the ground like all the others. I wondered how long would that leaf cling to its lifeline branch, not giving in to the mass exodus surrounding it.
For a moment I felt just as small as the small green leaf hanging on for dear life at the top of that tree.
I sometimes feel as if I am fighting a losing battle in my Christian life. I question do I have what it takes to hang on and not fall. I wonder will I always be strong enough to cling to my lifeline, Jesus Christ, and not give into the mass exodus that surrounds me every day in this world.
I know it sounds really crazy, but right there sitting in that pile of fallen leaves, I prayed for the lone leaf clinging to the top of that tree. I prayed that it would be strong and survive. I prayed I would be strong and survive. I prayed that I would always keep my eyes on the treasure, the prize, set before us all, which is Paradise. Those of us who endure to the end, no matter how hard the wind blows, no matter what overwhelming odds we have to stand up against, will one day enter into a place of great beauty that we have been promised. It will be a place with never ending showers of peace and joy, with no tears, no pain, no sorrow, no death, no falling.
Don't fall, no matter what all seems to leave from around you... Jesus is calling us to cling to Him.
We must not be moved by the mass exodus of this world.