In my office I have a painting of a leaf on the wind. In the background the sky is blue with some nice white clouds and in the foreground the leaf is a beautiful fall orange and reminds me of a great big oak leaf. It is inspired by one of my favorite TV series, Firefly, and the follow-up movie, Serenity. As fall is coming on and the leaves start to fall from their trees I am drawn more and more to the image. It reminds me of the natural processes put in place by God to practice renewal in our lives. It also brings to mind what it can be like to live under the influence of the Holy Spirit. A leaf on the wind goes where the powerful invisible force takes it. Christians live under the steady, life giving, and powerful movements of the Holy Spirit.

Heading into fall means that a lot of us are dealing with busier schedules, more and more things vying for our time. As more and more things cry out for our attention and lay claim to our time it is easy to get lost in the tumultuous movements of this world. God’s call is that we be led by Him in all circumstances. Yes, the world is tumultuous and can be powerful in its determination to draw us into its way of life. The Holy Spirit’s power to guide and direct our daily lives is infinitely more powerful, and His claim on our time is the only valid one! As in the beginning, the Holy Spirit is hovering over the chaotic tumult of our lives and is ready and willing to bring order to the chaos. We have to be willing to let God take action to resolve the chaos into order. To blow into our lives and sweep away any of the detritus the world has placed there and restore order to what is left.

Just as the leaves on the trees are turning and falling off in their natural cycle of renewal. We too can turn to God and fall into the embrace of the Holy Spirit in our lives to find renewal and wholeness once again. As October starts and we head deeper into fall let’s take time to consider a couple questions:

How has the chaos of the world been showing up in my life?

And: 

In what ways has the Holy Spirit been ordering my life?