Have you noticed the acorns on the ground? It’s the “fall” of the season, and not only are the leaves falling, but so are the acorns and other nuts. The squirrels are behaving crazy as they collect the nuts and stash them in the ground.
Another thing that to notice that is “crazy” is that all the acorns are starting to sprout! Yes, the acorns are trying to grow. You may say, “But it’s not the season to grow. It’s fall and winter is close behind. Any new growth will surely freeze and die. This is not the time for seeds to sprout and to grow!” Yet, the acorns indeed are beginning to sprout and grow.
Maybe it’s not crazy. Maybe it’s remarkable. Remarkable because it reminds us that where we think no new life is possible, God makes it possible and brings about new life. When we encounter a “fall,” or when we experience what appears to be a lifeless “winter,” look again: God is there with you to give you a new life.
Jesus tells the parable about two men who went to pray. One man said to God, “Thank you, God, that I am not like others. I am a decent and good person, not like others.” In his prayer we see a person whose “winter” is this: “I don't need God’s help, I’m okay just as I am.” For this person there will be no growth. As he compares himself to others, he’s too good to be any better.
The other man prayed, “Forgive me, God, for I have done wrong.” In this pray we hear something different. This person has experienced a “fall,” but new life is now beginning to grow in him. He sees that he needs God’s help. He calls on God to help him. With God, he lives forward with hope for a new life.
When Jesus told this parable, he said that this second man’s prayer for help was more favored by God. What a remarkable statement! We might expect the man who is good and decent to be favored by God. Yet, the truth is, he thinks he does not need God because he sees himself too good already to call on God.
Instead, the one who calls for help in his “winter” is the one who needs God and who calls on God to give him that help. He sees God with him and that God will give him the new life he desires.
That’s not a crazy notion; it’s a remarkable one, because his life is open to move forward with the help of God. May our lives also be open to the helping hand of God, so that we are not too good to be better, with God’s love and grace.