Happy Thanksgiving Eve!
I decorated for Christmas before Thanksgiving — mainly because I would soon head out for East Texas for our family celebrations. I wanted my Christmas d\u00e9cor out and displayed when I arrived back home. I clearly didn’t skip over Fall because I saw it in all its glory yesterday as I made my way to Rusk, TX. I noticed the trees were still holding on to most of their Fall leaves for dear life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our Christmas holly jolly spirits are about to come out loud and proud but though it feels like winter here, the actual winter season doesn\u2019t make its debut until December 21st! I checked. Thanks, Google!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I think the trees\u2019 leaves are stunned. Before long, they\u2019ll give way to nature. Their bright green color is starting to fade. Soon there will be leaves piled high on the ground. Part of me longs for the leaves to hold on a little longer. “Come on. You\u2019ve got this. Think green!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But the tree only listens to its Maker rather than my senseless longings. To flourish in the new season, the tree must let go of its decayed leaves. They\u2019ve done their job well for their season, but their time has drawn to a close.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I guess you know I’m going somewhere with my “leaves” fixation today. I am reminded that the leaves display an important lesson for all of us to follow. Just as the trees don\u2019t stubbornly hold on to their dead leaves, so we shouldn\u2019t hold on to our “leaves” — like the unnecessary weights of negativity that have clung on way too long in our lives. I am ready to move on to a new season. Aren\u2019t you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our old season may be one of sadness, unforgiveness, stinking thinking, disappointments, poor self-image, rehearsing our mistakes and living with regrets way too long.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is time to move on to a new season and let go of the past. My game plan includes \u201cshaking my tree\u201d to get rid of those \u201changing on\u201d negative leaves — especially the ones that try to impede my peace and joy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I know God longs to empower and strengthen us for the new season ahead! So much awaits us when we let the past go. \u201cForget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.\u201d Isaiah 43:18,19<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is time for us to release the grasp of the \u201cdead and unfruitful\u201d leaves that prevent a freshness to the season ahead. Could it be that the decayed leaves have piled up and our heart needs to discard them for good \u2013 once and for all? Infused with God\u2019s love and power, we CAN let go! \u201cI can do ALL things through Christ Who gives me strength!\u201d Philippians 4:13.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
May we go to God in prayer and ask Him to shine His light on any thoughts, circumstances, habits or other \u201cdecayed leaves\u201d we might be clinging to. Let it go! Let them go! And, let God do what He does best \u2013 bless us with a brand new day and life!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m \u201cletting go\u201d and letting God have His way in me in this blessed new season.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Happy Thanksgiving Eve!I decorated for Christmas before Thanksgiving — mainly because I would soon head out for East Texas for our family celebrations. I wanted my Christmas d\u00e9cor out and displayed when I arrived back home. I clearly didn’t skip over Fall because I saw it in all its glory yesterday as I made my…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":17113,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[25241,25240],"tags":[1210,1769,251,25237,1034,3679,40,1469,8635,1685,25238,11896,775],"class_list":["post-17112","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-leaves-falling","category-trees","tag-blog","tag-christian","tag-christmas","tag-dead-leaves","tag-fall","tag-i-can-do-all-things-through-christ","tag-inspiration","tag-leaves","tag-new-season","tag-philippians-413","tag-poor-self-image","tag-stinking-thinking","tag-thanksgiving"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17112","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=17112"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17112\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17116,"href":"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17112\/revisions\/17116"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/17113"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=17112"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=17112"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=17112"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}