This fall I’ve found myself drawn to the trees and their gorgeous show of color. In many instances, I can’t keep my eyes off them as I walk in my neighborhood, hike in the woods, look out my window, or simply drive around town. When we moved back to Iowa in 2020, we were still in a global wide pandemic, so I never fully appreciated this season of change. And last year at this time, Ryan and I were losing hope as we approached yet another month without getting pregnant. This year is different, and I’ve been caught by the colors, almost as if I’m looking at a burning bush, burning bushes that are everywhere I look.
As I’ve been drawn to these trees, I’ve found myself reflecting on the passage of Moses and the burning bush found in the book of Exodus. The angel of the Lord appeared to Moses in the flames of fire from within a bush. The colors of the trees really match the colors of fire- orange, red, and yellow. They are always present. All throughout the summer, those pigments are there, but we can’t see them because of the overwhelming amount of chlorophyll, giving it a green appearance. Once trees detect a reduction in the amount of daylight, the trees will reduce the amount of chlorophyll, ultimately allowing those other pigments to be seen. Thus, the trees end up looking like a burning bush. As I’ve been so drawn to these trees, I’ve wondered what God is trying to say to me. Has God been trying to get my attention all along, quite like for Moses in the book of Exodus? After all, those colors are always present in the trees!
Is there an area in your life where God is trying to get your attention? What’s your burning bush? How might you respond when you find it? Identifying your burning bush is one thing. The real work begins in discerning what it actually means. A spiritual director can help you discern its meaning. We have a few spiritual directors in our congregation, and one of them is our Director of Youth Ministries- Ryan Roth-Klinck, and he’d love to connect with you to help you discern. If you are interested in seeking spiritual direction with Ryan or someone else, you can email me or him at kristina@lovelylane.org or ryan@lovelylane.org.