For a very large part of my life, I observed endless summer. As the autumn season, also known as fall, is set to begin I yearn for the crisp air and colorful foliage once again. Yet I wonder if the emotional state of our society will stop to observe the wonders of our world. Will folks get outside and enjoy it as I hope to? Will people enjoy each others company?
There has been so much darkness in recent weeks, months, and years. Division is ramping up. Tribalism is dominating friends and family. Fewer and fewer people seem to value each other. The discouraging news articles about “how to deal with your political uncle at Thanksgiving” will be making the rounds again.
I work in technology. I like technology. I appreciate how social media allows me to stay connected with old friends hundreds or thousands of miles away. What I do not like is how it has evolved. My Facebook feed has devolved into the algorithm shoving pages and personalities into my face that I never asked to see. I try to trick it. When I see reels of nonsense, I start to click on something less discouraging. For example, I spend 10 minutes clicking on cat videos. Before long, most reels return to cat videos. Until the nonsense eventually returns and I need the cats to save my visual space.
In some way, I feel like the American experiment is entering its own autumn. The bleak winter is coming. What we’ve sown recently is a sour harvest. Blight is infecting everything. We are going to reap what we’ve sown. It will not be enjoyable.
Winter is coming. But can spring come again? Chauncey Gardiner would tell us, if the roots are good, spring will come again. Yet, how much more poison can our roots endure? How long until we are in our final autumn before the bleakest winter arrives? A winter that eliminates the roots and nothing grows back?
In a Christian sense, victory is already here. Hope is always here. Hope will never die. The roots of Christ’s sacrificial work run deeper than our sin. In the end, yes, spring will come again. All rot will be defeated. We need to remember this and search for Christ in the bleak winter that is coming. The darkness in the world wishes for us to forget that the victory is already won. Holdfast and don’t let yourself become ensnared. The Lord will show Himself to us again.
So, escape the digital world. Seek to reconcile with those around you. Get outside. Look for the wonderful colors. Love one another. Try to find the right mindset going into the bleak winter. Spring will come again.