Why I See Heaven in the Changing Leaves

Fall has always been my favorite season. It brings cooling weather, college football, the start of school, upcoming holidays. And for my wife and me, our birthdays are in the fall. But the last two years I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing something about fall that I've never been able to enjoy before: the changing leaves.

I live in Georgia. Last year I lived in Ohio; and every year before that, I lived in Florida. In Florida, leaves don’t change colors. They go from green to … well, green. The only time I had ever seen bright-orange or deep-red leaves on trees was in calendar pictures or on vacations. So for the last two years I’ve been enjoying these vibrant colors as if I were a kid.

Last week we hiked up a mountain known for its beautiful fall leaves, and one of my friends said something that I have been thinking ever since I moved north: “I’m so glad God made the leaves turn colors instead of just dying.”

It’s a great thought. Why is it necessary for the leaves to turn brilliant colors? There’s no scientific need for it; although, scientifically, there is of course a reason for it. All that’s happening is that as photosynthesis shuts down the trees lose their chlorophyll, which is what makes leaves green. As the chlorophyll leaves, other chemicals in the leaves show through before they fall. In some trees, such as maples, these chemicals make the leaves turn bright shades of red or other colors.

Why is it necessary, from a scientific perspective, for chemicals such as glucose to make leaves look brilliant to my eyes? I’m going with the Sunday school answer here: "Because God made it that way."

Nature, to me, is the ultimate reflection of what we can expect in heaven. In Romans, Paul talks about how creation will be restored to its original glory: “For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God” (Rom. 8:20-21, NIV).

Imagine looking down from the top of a mountain and seeing a valley filled with vivid leaves of yellow, orange and red. Quite a sight. Now imagine what that view will be like when creation is restored. That is what heaven will be like.

We should never let the cares of this world distract from the future joy, peace and fulfillment of heaven. Because of the love of Jesus, we will get to experience the world as it should be for all of eternity.

It’s something to think about the next time you see a gorgeous fall tree.