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Have you ever gone searching for peak color in the fall? My wife and I do it every year. We drive the Blue Ridge Parkway, hoping to catch the mountains at their brightest. This year, as I watched the colors change with every mile, I realized something: maybe we’re all searching for “peak color” in life too.

This past week, my wife and I took that drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway to see the fall colors. Even though we live in the mountains of South Carolina—and the color is magnificent right where we are—there’s something special about making this drive every year. The Parkway has its own beauty and rhythm, and somehow it draws us back time and again. Where is your favorite place to see the beauty of God’s autumn grandeur?

To find peak color when driving the Parkway there are two factors. In addition to being there on the right day, the elevation has an impact on the color as well. At the lower elevations, the leaves were still green and waiting for their time. In the middle elevations, they were at their radiant peak—gold, crimson, and orange glowing in the sunlight. But at the highest points, the color had already faded, and the trees were clothed only in the last dull remains of what had been breathtaking just a week earlier. Somewhere between green and gone, there’s a place where the color is just right.

As we drove, I began to think about how this mirrors the seasons of our spiritual life.

Green – Growing

There are times when our faith is still green—new, fresh, and full of potential. We’re learning to pray, to trust, to listen for God’s voice. These are our growing days, the days of formation and discovery.

Peak – Radiant

Then there are seasons when our soul seems to burst into color. God’s grace shines through us, our prayer feels alive, and we sense His presence everywhere. These are our spiritual “peak color” days—the times when His beauty radiates through us and touches others.

Post-Peak – Thinning

But, as in nature, the seasons change. Sometimes we enter a “post-peak” time. Life grows difficult. Prayer becomes dry. The joy fades. We might even feel spiritually lifeless. Yet even these seasons have purpose. The quiet endurance of faith, the humility born of struggle, and the wisdom that comes from perseverance—all of these can be beautiful in God’s eyes.

Winter – Awaiting Spring

And just when it seems that everything has fallen away and winter has taken hold, we must remember: in the rhythm of God’s creation, there is always a spring. The trees that appear lifeless are never truly dead. Deep within them, life stirs again, waiting for the warmth of the sun to call it forth.

Our faith can be like that too. Sometimes the world distracts us, or sin and sorrow cause our spiritual leaves to wither. If we find ourselves in a post-peak or winter season of the soul, we must remember that it’s never too late for renewal. God’s mercy is the eternal spring that brings life back to what once seemed dead.

As Ecclesiastes reminds us, “There is an appointed time for everything, and a time for every affair under the heavens.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1)

Our goal is not to cling to one season, but to be faithful through them all—so that when our final autumn comes, we will be at the spiritual peak God has prepared for us.

Finally, let’s keep in mind the words of Philippians 1:6, and always remain confident that the one who began a good work in us will continue to complete that work until the day of Christ Jesus.

Heavenly Father, you are the Artist of every season. Help me to grow in faith when I am green, to shine with Your love when I am at peak, and to trust You when my colors fade. During those times when my faith feels dry or distant, send the warmth of Your mercy and help my soul to spring to life again. Let each season draw me closer to You until I rest forever in Your eternal light. Amen.

AMDG 

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Brian Pusateri

Brian is a Christian author and speaker. Brian, a lifelong Catholic, felt his life was forever changed when God spoke to his heart while attending an eight day silent Christian retreat in November of 2011. Soon after that retreat Brian founded 4th Day Letters and Broken Door Ministries. With the God inspired message of mercy and unconditional love that was placed on his heart during that retreat, Brian has been impacting others all over the country and around the world with his weekly letters, his talks, and his all day Christian retreats. In June of 2014, Brian’s life was again impacted in a very dramatic way when his eyesight suddenly became permanently impaired. The initial diagnosis was Multiple Scleroses (MS) but in December of 2019 the diagnosis was corrected to MOG antibody disease, a rare neurological disease. This health challenge has only served to draw Brian closer to God and bolster the importance of this timely yet ageless message.

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