Passions, Photography

Leaf 🍃Love

by Tina

Whether it’s an old leaf or a new one I have a passion for all things tree. 🌳

That ball of fuzz is a banded wooly bear caterpillar. In late Spring it will emerge from its cocoon an Isabella tiger moth.

And now back to leaves and trees…. 🍃🌳

Jesus, our Lord and God, weaved trees into His lessons using their growth, strength, beauty, and even cultivating practices to convey the message of His Kingdom which is our life in Him.

He (God) cares for the branches connected to me (Christ Jesus) by lifting and propping up the fruitless branches and pruning every fruitful branch to yield a greater harvest.

John15:2 (The Passion Translation)

…..Christ’s endless love for His disciples on the last night of His life on earth seems to emphasize God’s love even for those who fail and disappoint Him. Peter’s denial didn’t bring rejection from Jesus.

The Passion Translation Footnotes

I never grow BOARD of fallen leaves 🍂🍃 You may do this—> 🙈🙈🙈 and groan if you must. I will still love you. ❤ I’m cool with that.

Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf.

Proverbs 11:28 (Tree of Life Translation)

When those that take root in the world wither, those who are grafted into Christ shall be fruitful. He that brings trouble upon himself and his family, by carelessness, or by wickedness, shall be unable to keep and enjoy what he gets, as a man is unable to hold the wind, or to satisfy himself with it. The righteous are as trees of life; and their influence upon earth, like the fruits of that tree, support and nourish the spiritual life in many.

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

I love the array of colours and the changes that leaves go through during their life cycle. Much like a leaf (or a caterpillar) we too must be transformed. We do this by meditating on God’s word and doing what it says.

Don’t just listen to the Word of Truth and not respond to it, for that is the essence of self-deception. So always let his Word become like poetry written and fulfilled by your life!

James 1:22-25 (The Passion Translation)

Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city.

Revelation 22:14 (Modern English Translation)

This one’s a bit like the the creepy Dead Marches in Lord of the Rings, but even leaves that have plunged into the water can signify so much. When we take a dip in the water (we call this baptism) we publicly vow that we are committing our lives to Christ. We die to ourselves to live for Christ.

Those who do make this commitment become like a tree planted by the water: strong, assured of God’s faithfulness, resilient and fruitful.

“But the person who trusts in the Lord will be blessed.
    The Lord will show him that He can be trusted.
He will be strong, like a tree planted near water
    that sends its roots by a stream.
It is not afraid when the days are hot;
    its leaves are always green.
It does not worry in a year when no rain comes;
    it always produces fruit.

Jeremiah 17:7-8 (New Century Version)

Last, but not least, these little leaf buds caught my eye. The blur below is all of this Japanese Maple’s 🍁 fallen leaves. But look… new growth eagerly awaits. May we have that same zeal towards serving God and our spiritual growth.

They found that the Jews of Berea were of more noble character and much more open minded than those of Thessalonica. They were hungry to learn and eagerly received the word. Every day they opened the scrolls of Scripture to search and examine them, to verify that what Paul taught them was true.

Acts 17:11 (The Passion Translation)

18 thoughts on “Leaf 🍃Love”

  3. Lovely photos! The colors and tones of the leaves are so beautiful. It always amazes me; when I see how tall, strong, and mighty trees become from just sun, rain, and soil. A bounty of leaves surrounds me now, but in the tree buds, I see the promise of spring. May we all be rooted in the Gospel and bear much fruit. Tina, what an enjoyable post! Thanks for sharing! 💗🌳🌼🌺

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    2. I really enjoyed your post about marriage advice. Wow, is that the truth. I couldn’t see anywhere to comment. So I’m commenting here and have given you a ‘follow’

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  7. What kind of leaf is the one on the board? 😀
    I love the red “carpet” of leaves under the Japanese maple. What a colorful picnic lunch you could have there!! And, the promise of new leaves in the bud is a concept less recognized, because it means leaning in and looking more closely and taking the time to ponder these beautiful concepts!

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    1. The leaf on the board is a Japanese maple leaf 🍁 😊 Yes, the promise of new leaves in a bud definitely requires looking closely and some meditation. I guess you could say it’s like taking time to smell the roses. We don’t normally think of engaging our minds as a restful past time. But it’s what about Who we’re meditating on that brings us peace. So stopping to smell the roses isn’t always a physical rest. It can be a spiritual rest as well. ❤❤

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