By: Denny

It’s finally Spring in Iowa! The daffodils in our flower bed are in full bloom. The grass is becoming greener. Last week we had three days of eighty-degree temperatures which seemed to wake up everything. It was refreshing to open all the windows in the house and let the new air in and the old air out. I even hung out some laundry on the clothesline. I rented a power rake and dethatched the yard of old dead grass and followed it up with fertilizer in leu of expected rain. I fired up the motor home, drove it off the 5” x 24” x 24” wood pads, and did some minor repairs to the awning support arm. I got out my leaf blower/vac and cleaned up some leaves left over from last Fall that the wind blew against our fence from the neighbor’s yard. I know my own dead leaves, just saying. I emptied the storage shed and rearranged everything, making room for the snowblower and kerosene heater which I won’t need until next winter. We have a pellet stove in our living room. Walmart had a close-out sale on their wood pellets at $3.00 a 40# bag. The regular price was $7.49. I bought the whole pallet of 26 bags and hauled them home and stacked them in the shed for use next heating season. I went to bed each night tired and sore. It’s Sunday morning and the temperature dropped to thirty-one with a wind chill near zero and it’s snowing! You may have heard the saying that if you don’t like the weather just wait five minutes and it will change, and I think Iowa invented it. I’m thankful the ground is warm enough because the snow isn’t sticking. On the way to church, my wife Lucy commented that there were trees that had dead leaves on them from last Fall. How odd that they held on despite the heavy snows, cold temps, and blizzard-like winds we had this winter. Most all the other trees were shooting forth new buds and leaves, and here were some trees still holding on to dry, dead, and ugly leaves. Lucy then said, “You know, a lot of people are like those trees holding on to the dead leaves of their past.” “They just need to let go of some things to allow God to do something new.” My reply was, “You’re absolutely right and that’ll preach!” Oh, how often we desire that God would move in our lives and speak plainly to us, yet we overlook the simple and quiet ways that He does.

Our emotions can be like the Iowa weather changing every five minutes. One minute we’re up and having a great day, then the next minute something from the past will pull us down. Maybe it’s a memory of how someone did you wrong or hurt you and you’re struggling with bitterness, unforgiveness, and you’re still holding a grudge leaf. Perhaps you made some bad decisions in the past and the would’ves, should’ves, and could’ves leaves keep kicking you in the pants and won’t let go. Still, maybe you’re in your “Golden Years” and you can’t physically or mentally do the things you once could with ease, and your body rebels when you try. You find yourself recalling and holding on to the leaves of “the good old days”. Given the current social, economic, and political environment these days, I can’t fault you for that. At least us old folks can be thankful that we have the good old days and can remember them, sometimes. Another dead leaf can be that you’ve never gotten past the loss of a loved one. It’s normal to mourn and grieve for a season, but there comes a time when you need to “let it go” and move on to allow new life to blossom in you. That’s not to say we can’t reflect on the fond memories and life experiences we shared with them. I suppose if we each took a good look at our own tree (life), we may discover a few dead leaves that we need to let go of. You may say, “That’s easy for you to say” and you’re right. Some leaves are easy to let go of, while others have been on our tree so long, they hang on and refuse to fall.

God miraculously delivered the children of Israel from their slavery in Egypt, and was doing a new thing.  Even so, they struggled in letting go of the past and many desired to go back when the going got tough in the wilderness. The Apostle Paul had many dead leaves on his tree, but he gives us a great example to follow in dealing with ours. Philippians 3:13 “One thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead.” He was a man just like us in that his tree (life) was full of dead leaves (sin). One day the resurrected Lord Jesus so shook him that it literally caused him to fall along with all his dead leaves, so to speak, and then new life began to bud and blossom in him. Jesus wants to do the same new work in your life too, and all you need to do is ask and be willing to let go of everything and let Him have control. Matthew 16:25 “For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” Are your old dead leaves really all that worth saving and holding unto? God will take you the easiest way you’ll come. He prefers you’d let go of your dead leaves and surrender your life to Him before He must shake your tree. He’s calling to you in simple quiet ways today. Look and listen and you’ll hear Him.