They are piling up in the yard again! Every year as Thanksgiving approaches and chilly breezes greet the morning all those Oak, Hickory, Maple and other assorted deciduous trees turn into huge flowers of color. The rains come and the leaves fall blanketing everything in sight with their mulchable deposits. It’s amazing. One mature Oak can hold half a million leaves, each one of which has contributed oxygen to the atmosphere and nutrition to the tree for several months. Now they offer their final contribution to the soil and biosphere beneath them. It’s a beautiful thing to serve well and end well, contributing all along the way.
I’m fast approaching the time of life when I can begin drawing on my IRA without penalty. The color of my hair is already changing as a reminder that the days ahead are numbered. By God’s grace I pray I can be like those leaves and serve well, contributing all along the way. Joining the pile of past preachers in the yard may not be a glamorous picture, but if my part has served God’s purposes, that will be glory for me.