"The leaves fall, fall as from far,
Like distant gardens withered in the heavens;
They fall with slow and lingering descent.
And in the nights the heavy Earth, too, falls
From out the stars into the Solitude.
Thus all doth fall. This hand of mine must fall
And lo! the other one:—it is the law.
But there is One who holds this falling Infinitely softly in His hands."
-Rainer Maria Rilke-
translated by Jessie Lamont
The leaves aren't falling here in Phoenix yet, but they are in many other places. However, a few days ago I came across a different kind of falling. I first noticed this plant in it's clay container.
Just sit and take a moment with it. What do you see?
To me, there seemed to be such beauty to behold, not just in what has let go, but also what was underneath the letting go. The expanse of the rootedness of the living plant and it's slow steady growth could no longer be contained. The roots grew up against the rough clay pottery. Over time growing inward toward the center and outward toward the pottery the expanse could no longer hold. The center did not give way, but the old container could no longer hold the largeness of the plant. The Center holds. I'm sure the cracking and breaking away did not happen overnight. But the slow, steady growth, gently kept pushing the barrier to its growth.
In another clay pot nearby, the plant experienced the same kind of growth to the point where new growth - leaves of this plant sought the sun from this newly exposed section.
We often see the letting go of the leaves in autumn. If the leaves did not give way there would be no space for new leaves in the spring. The cycle of life leaving and letting go must give way for the expanse of new growth.
And "there is One who holds this falling Infinitely softly in His hands."
We can often be experiencing growth and letting go at the same time.
Are there places you're experiencing boundaries to growing, expanding into a new expanse? Spend some time understanding the places that are pushing, irritating or are pressure.
Is there something that needs to let go so you can experience the fullness of what God may have for you?
What might it be like to trust the One who is holding the falling softly in hand?
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