Shabbat Shalom All!
This Robert Frost poem, “Nothing Gold Can Stay,” came to mind this morning as I took photos outside my office –
Nature’s first green is gold
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf’s a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.
It reminded me of Isaiah 40:6-8 –
“All people are like grass,
and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field.
The grass withers and the flowers fall,
because the breath of the LORD blows on them.
Surely the people are grass.
The grass withers and the flowers fall,
but the word of our God endures forever.”
Watching the season set in and drain the color from nature really puts into perspective the stark contrast between God and His creation. Earthly things come and go so quickly, and time can taunt you sometimes. But I truly believe that this quiet, desaturated season is simply an opportunity to shift your eyes to the Creator and revel in His everlasting beauty. It reminds us that nothing in the earth outshines our God. Everything we see around us is temporary – but He is eternal. This season emphasizes this contrast, and makes it easier to focus our eyes where they should be focused.
As you look through these photos, take notice of what catches your eye immediately. It’s these splashes of remaining color and beautiful lingering rain drops that hold your focus and make you forget about the withering flowers and grass in the background. This is what God’s glory does for us! So declare Isaiah 40:6-8 and thank God that He NEVER fades!
Blessings,
Tracey
Posted by Barbara Gerber on December 5, 2014 at 8:21 pm
Hi Tracey,
You reminded me of what the ground looks like when all the golden leaves fall and lay beneath the trees and the sky is gray and the winter approaches. I always think, wow, the Lord put the sunshine on the ground because it is not shining in the sky right now. The gold beneath the trees doesn’t last long, but it is often as if it from within and it always makes me smile. Thank you for bringing us the changing face of the garden so faithfully. I enjoy your photos very much.
Posted by Maria Wennberg on December 6, 2014 at 5:25 am
Thank you Tracey , I love the starkness of the fall and winter beauty. Yep, it makes us realize the temporary of the natural and the eternal of our God. Bless you. Maria