And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. - Philippians 4:7 (ESV)

Every autumn, as the leaves begin to change and eventually fall to the ground, it causes me to pause. The falling leaves are God’s natural marker, reminding us that life is short and representing His appointed time for everything (Ecc. 3:1).

As autumn grows deeper, the leaves burn brighter and brighter. Finally, falling to the ground, they continue to glow, even though their season is done.

When I think about these moments, it represents the way I want to live my life. As I grow older, my desire is to draw closer to God, so that His light reflects more brightly. Every year, I consider how many more times in my life I will get to watch this beautiful season, or perhaps, this will be the last viewing; only God knows.

Because time is short, it is also my hope that I don’t waste my life doing meaningless things. On this autumn day, I drove up to Coldstream with my daughter Adalai, where we both put on our hip waders and traipsed through the river with our cameras.

I joked with her that if she lost her balance, to hold the camera up high, and even if her head went under, to hold her breath, lift the camera straight up and not let to it touch the water—and that I would of course, come to her rescue. Thankfully, it didn’t come to that. :)

As the sun set, and darkness began to set in, we slowly made our way back and exited the river. It’s moments like these where the peace of God passes all understanding, and I rejoice in His simple blessings that are there for all of us… if we only take the time to pause.