We have had such a beautiful fall so far. I have heard many people talking about the gorgeous sunshine and how wonderful it has been to have those extra touches of summer. I am one of those people. I have loved the outdoor activities, the warmth of the sun, the brilliance of the flowers and the sky. The problem is that the continual sunshine has had a flip side. We had a lack of rain. Even though constant sunshine feels good for a while, it has an eventual negative impact on nature.
The problem is that this fall we lacked rain, and though we like the warm weather, the sunshine with no rain, it has a negative impact on nature. When there is not enough rain, the trees, the grass, the bushes – everything begins to show the effects.
God designed nature to give us what we need. He said, “I will send you rain in its season, and the ground will yield its crops and the trees their fruit” (Leviticus 26:4 NIV).
Let’s just think about trees. If trees don’t get enough rain (water) before autumn, it can absolutely affect how their leaves change color. But it’s not that the leaves stay green; it’s that the color change is often muted, shortened, or skipped because of stress. This was fascinating to me, so I refreshed my junior high science knowledge.
Here’s why: In normal conditions, as days shorten and temperatures cool, trees stop producing chlorophyll (the green pigment). When the green fades, other pigments – carotenoids (yellow/orange) and anthocyanins (red/purple) – become visible. That’s what creates fall color.
In drought conditions, the tree is already stressed. To conserve water, it may shut down chlorophyll production early and quickly, or the leaves may dry out and turn brown before colors fully develop. Sometimes the leaves don’t show much color at all – they just wilt, brown, and drop off without the brilliant reds and golds.
So, no rain doesn’t usually mean the leaves “stay green.” It means the color change happens too fast or too weakly for the bright fall colors to appear, and the leaves may fall off dull or brown instead. No rain takes away the vibrancy of the leaves. But the mixture of sunshine and rain is what makes an ordinary little green bush burst with autumn awesomeness.
Thinking of all this caused me to reflect on life. It is very easy, in fact, it is most natural, to wish for a life full of sunshine and no rain. But Jesus promised – or warned, depending on how you look at it – that in this world we will have trials and tribulations. As the proverb says, “Into each life some rain must fall.” It is necessary for us to come to spiritual maturity and growth. It is necessary for us to have vibrancy and beauty in life. Our “leaves” would lose color. We would go through go through life without knowing the true beauty God can bring from the rainy seasons of life. God is the expert at doing that. Scripture says, “To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the Lord has planted for his own glory” (Isaiah 61:3 NLT).
He will do that for us. It is true – into every life some rain will fall. There will be rainy seasons. But when we go through them with trust instead of resentment or fear, when we take them as also part of the way God will work for our good, we will always end up knowing that it was in those times God did something remarkable. We will find that our greatest growth and beauty are in the colors God designed as we trusted Him.
And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. Romans 8:28 NLT