On Autumn Leaves & Letting Go

"The trees are about to show us how lovely it is to let the dead things go." -Anonymous

It's certainly Fall here around Kentucky, with foliage transforming into brilliant colors around every corner. The first few cold nights have rolled in around, and the trees have begun to shed their beautiful leaves. It always struck me as odd that they would let go of the very things that could keep them warm throughout the Winter. Surely the extra layer would protect them. Surely keeping the leaves would prove to be worth their while, until they could drop them for the new buds promised in Spring.This was my position until I read Lysa Terkeurst's wise words in her book "The Best Yes" about releasing your leaves in Fall to prepare for the weight of snow on your branches in Winter. Trees must release the leaves so that they can be bare, ready, availableTo be completely honest, I'm still not 100% sure of what God is asking for us to let go.... other than expectations. The reoccurring theme in our lives has been a disappointment due to unmet expectations or unrealized hopes. The tough question we have been forced to keep asking ourselves is: "What are we placing our hope in?"When the answer is Jesus, we have to then come to the realization that He is LORD. If we acknowledge that He is Lord, we can't also say "Me first." That doesn't add up in this equation. So let us welcome this feeling of bare. Let us see it as a position of availability -- availability to be used, availability to be used, availability to be transformed by whatever God has for us.