A Time Of Focus Series

(Introduction)

source: http://www.jokes4us.com/miscellaneousjokes/weatherjokes/falljokes.html

What did the tree say to autumn? leaf me alone.

What did one autumn leaf say to another? I'm falling for you.

Fall is a time of transition.

Transitioning weather from the warmth of summer to the cold of winter.

Transitioning of landscapes from greens to browns.

Transitioning of time from long days to long nights.

These transitions excite some, who enjoy the time and appreciate the spectacular sights, sounds, and activities of fall.

These transitions discourage others, who can only think of the coming dark, cold, dreary days of winter.

It’s during this amazing time of transition where we get to see God’s magnificent handiwork on display probably more prominently than any other time of the year, except for maybe during the other time of transition, spring.

I can’t count the number of folks in my Facebook feeds these past few weeks who have been posting this year the most majestic pictures of our county backroads and the beauty that completely surrounds us. Fall this year seems to have stirred in many the appreciation and admiration of the inherent beauty that God has put on display.

We are blessed to be able to look out our windows and see the changing colors of fall, the beautiful handiwork of our God.

With that idea in mind, last week, we began a short study guided by the creative colors God gives us this time of year.

We considered the changing colors of the trees, and were encouraged to be an example to the world, showing off the true beauty within.

The changing colors of the fall trees are an encouragement to always remember that God has created all of these wonderful blessings that we enjoy every day.

The beauty of the fall trees remind us that God is still in control, still in charge, still at the helm. We can rest assured in the unchanging nature of our God, despite the constant change in our world that surrounds us.

This morning, fall gives us a special opportunity to reflect on the majesty of the beauty that surrounds us. As the days get shorter and the nights get longer, fall gives us a chance to do some introspective looking at our lives and souls.

While I certainly wouldn’t subscribe to many of the things that 19th century German philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche (nee - chuh), wrote or said, I do believe he hit on a great nugget with this statement:

“Autumn is more the season of the soul than of nature.”

Fall is a time for an in-depth, honest evaluation or examination of our motivations, our values and our emotions regarding our life's path. For many, fall is a time of internal search for deep meaning and moral contentment.

This morning, let’s look together at some honest examinations of our souls and lives, and learn some lessons from fall, and learn to delight in the details of the beauty around us, reflect on where we have been this year, and gain focus on where we are going from here.

As we begin, the sun and moon in fall can teach us about balance in our lives.

There are two times a year that the earth feels like it is in perfect balance: autumn equinox and spring equinox.

Two days a year where there is an equal amount of day and night — the same number of daylight hours as nighttime hours.

The spring equinox is where all things are becoming new.

The autumn equinox is nature getting ready for it’s “long winter’s nap”.

Old myths teach that on these two special days you can balance an egg on its end. Why? Because the earth is in perfect balance. Equal amount of day and night.

Equal gravitational pull.

The perfect balance.

Now, it has been proven that you can really balance an egg on any day. But the thought of perfect balance in our physical world does give us a reason to consider balance in our lives.

Things in our world today get so easily out of balance, even more so these days with the new demands on people because of COVID and economic stresses in our lives.

For many, for example, the work/life balance is all out of whack.

25 New Statistics on Work-Life Balance (2021)

https://ergonomictrends.com/work-life-balance-statistics/

In an article in Ergonomic Trends, 60% of Americans say they have poor work-life balance mostly due to a lack of boundary between work and home life.

On average, employees take 26% of their work back home to complete, eating into their personal time. In an analysis of 185 million working hours, RescueTime, an analytic tool that folks can use to help determine how they spend their time, reported that employees are only able to complete 74% of their tasks during their time at work. This means more than a quarter of the work has to be done on their own personal time. A combination of unproductive meetings and digital distractions are to blame, according to experts.