Written on October 6, 2016 by Del Augusta
September 23 marked the start of a brand new season. This new season in which we call “Fall,” will show us that there is so much beauty in the death of a thing. Our culture teaches us to be afraid of death. Somewhere deep in the dark annals of our thinking, there is this belief that death is the “end all.” I want to present to you the thought that death is not really the end. Death is really the sign that a new beginning is on the horizon.
I was driving down a street recently in the city of Shreveport, Louisiana. The thing you have to realize about Shreveport, is that there are lush lawns and beautiful green trees everywhere. Being that I’m a city boy, raised in a concrete garden, I quickly took notice of the amount of greenery in Shreveport. And as I was riding down the street I saw the most beautiful thing ever. I saw something that added color and vibrancy to the mundane uniformity of all the trees and lawns. What I saw, made me want to pull out my phone quicker than I was able to, so that I could remember this glimpse of unordinary beauty forever. I saw something that made me wonder about the majesty of God, and how it could be, that the Uncreated Being could create something so majestic and incredible. I guess by now you’re wondering what I saw…
…I saw death.
Most of us have seen a tree that was no longer green. It’s so easy to picture those incredible Autumn leaves in your head. Those beautiful oranges, browns, and creative earth toned colors. I’m sure like me, you’ve had a moment where you have stopped and thought, “What a beautiful coloration on that tree?!” You know what that beauty really is? It’s death my friend. Because the leaves are dying, they turn color and fall to the grown leaving us with a beautiful picture of Fall.
It’s interesting how we find the death of a tree to be so beautiful, yet when we go through seasons in our lives where things have to die, we equate those as dreadful and tormentous, and we struggle to embrace them because we don’t see them as beautiful. Take for example a relationship…
There are some relationships that were good and life giving for a season. But have you ever come into a season where you don’t know why, but you get this sense that the relationship you’re in just isn’t suppose to be alive?! I’ve gone through that season of mourning and weeping over an intimate relationship that I cherished, that God no longer wanted to be alive. When that relationship died, it took me years to get over the pain, hurt, and sense of abandonment that I felt. Looking back on that time in my life, I’m so glad that God killed that relationship. That relationship would’ve killed my passion for the Lord and enthusiasm for life. But I was so focused on what I was losing in that time of my life, that I couldn’t embrace what I was gaining. It was when the Lord took that relationship from me, that I began to travel globally because of the work that God was using me to establish with The Collide. My problem was learning to “embrace” the seasons of death.
Embracing “Fall” seasons is important. I heard the Lord say to me one time, “Del, the faster you embrace your loss, the faster you’ll be delivered.” Naturally, I had to ask the Lord what it looks like to embrace seasons of loss in my life. I’m not so much talking about the physical loss or death of a loved one. I’m talking about the loss of a job you loved, or a relationship you cherished, or even a ministry that you felt called to engage. The Lord began to show me that I needed to begin to look for him in the midst of death. Quite often, your trials come to teach you the character of God, but too often we allow it too distract us from seeing the character of the Father. Your pain wants you to believe that God is not good, and that He is not faithful. Your flesh wants you to focus on what you’re losing, and not on what you’re gaining in your obedience.
I have made it a point to be intentional about magnifying what God is doing, instead of what I feel like He is not doing. At times, I literally have to open my mouth and make positive declarations about the character of God when I feel my heart leaning into a negative perspective of who the Lord is.
God, You are good. You are faithful. You are true. You will never leave me nor forsake. You are true to your promises. I trust you. Your will is good for me.
These are just a few of the declarations I have to make. Making these professions cause my heart and soul to come in alignment with truth. My emotions can get out of control at, but speaking to my soul and compelling my heart to see God in the midst of pain is pivotal.
So in all of this, I hope to encourage you to see that your pain and loss is not the end. It’s only the beginning. Even Christ says to us, “Unless a seed falls to the ground and die, it can not bear fruit.” You may be going through, and need an encouragement. Be encouraged that this pain may hurt, but it’s necessary for you to bear great fruit. Be encouraged and know that “Fall” is only a season. Spring time will come again if you just hold on! I’m praying for you…