“You are worthy, our Lord and God,

To receive glory, honor, and power,

For You created all things, and

For Your pleasure they were created

And exist.” 

(Revelation 4:11 TPT)

by Debbie Allen

At the end of last summer, I found myself standing under the giant, umbrella-like branches of a beautiful ash tree.  Not just any ash tree, but the ash tree in my dad’s front yard. A beautiful tree that had spilled its shade out over his driveway for the past 32 summers. Though that tree would continue providing its cool shade for many more summers to come …my dad would no longer be here to enjoy it. Sadly, we laid him to rest earlier last year. As I stood beneath those far-reaching branches for one last time, I was surprised to look up and catch a glimpse of a tiny patch of yellow already tainting summer’s lush green foliage in the treetop. Usually, my heart is enraptured by thoughts of the beauty of fall being on the way. But the landscape of my life had changed so dramatically for three years in a row; with the loss of my mom in 2023, my younger brother in 2024, and now my 91-year-old dad in 2025… my heart struggled at the thought of facing any change again so soon.  My older brother, sister-in-law, and my husband and I had just spent every waking hour of the entire summer; deep cleaning, throwing or giving away the accumulations of a lifetime; digging-out, and fixing-up Dad’s house in an attempt to get it ready to put on the market. The difficulty of this experience both physically and emotionally, was anything but a gentle reminder to my soul of the pain and brevity of life. So, when my eyes landed on that yellow patch of leaves hidden high up in the treetops… my already weary heart responded with dread, along with the words inside of me I couldn’t hold back… “Please, Lord, not yet…it’s too soon…no more change!”

Almost as if receiving an immediate response back from the Lord to my words…a quote from my early morning devotional came flooding back into my mind:

“Autumn is a gentle reminder that changes can be beautiful!”

 Humbled now, and very aware of Who was delivering this same message to me for the second time that day; I felt the Father of all Creation urging the eyes of my heart to look deeper and to see beyond that patch of yellow which had all but paralyzed the clarity of both my vision and my thinking.

Before I had a chance to voice the questions still rising up inside of me to God… the nearby sounds of a little child’s laughter, pulled my eyes down from the treetops. It was Evie!  She was the two-year-old little girl who lived across the street from my dad’s house.  To my knowledge, Evie had never been over to the house before…but that day she continually attempted to cross the street on her own to get there. After multiple attempts of trying and failing because her mom, Erin, continued stepping between her and the street…Evie’s laughter finally turned to wailing and tears. Her little heart had been broken and it seemed there was no consoling her. I watched Erin pick up Evie and then disappear into the garage. Two seconds later, both mom and dad were pushing a stroller with Evie in it…and they were all heading my way. By the time the stroller made it up the steep driveway to where I was standing, Evie’s wailing had calmed to intermittent sobs. As Erin and I stood there talking, any time I looked in Evie’s direction, she playfully ducked back under the stroller top out of sight. Erin shared that Tyler and her had just returned from taking little Evie to the zoo for the first time.  Hearing the word ‘zoo’ again, Evie began leaning w-a-y out from under the stroller top, pointing excitedly at something above her head. Her mom bent down beside her to try and see what Evie was so excited about. To my surprise, Evie was pointing out that same patch of yellow leaves in the treetop that filled me with dread a few minutes earlier!!  But when Evie pointed it out to her mom, I watched her little heart swell with genuine joy as she bounced around on her mom’s hip; all the while crying out, “Ups! Ups! Ups!”

Still trying to contain little Evie, Erin finally glanced over at me with a smile and an explanation. 

“When Tyler and I took her to the zoo today, Evie saw a lot of animals…but she only fell in love with one of them…the Ups! That’s what Evie named the Giraffes from the very first moment she laid eyes on them.  Those Yellow leaves high up in the tree must’ve sparked her memory of the yellow giraffes she’d seen with their heads stuck so high up in the trees at the zoo. She absolutely loved them!”

After our visit ended, I watched as Tyler and Erin pushed the stroller back down the driveway heading for home. The last thing I saw that day was little Evie leaning out of the stroller again looking back at me; her little index finger still pointed upward, and telling me one more time, “Ups…Ups…Ups!”

I stood there amazed by Evie’s uncontainable joy being displayed in the same direction as the splash of yellow leaves that sent my own spirit reeling earlier. She saw something in those changing leaves that left her inarticulate, except for one word… Ups! In awe and wonder, I watched her heart fill with explosive joy just remembering the sight of the yellow creatures who stood s-o-o high above her at the zoo! Evie’s unbridled passion to share the Ups with whoever would listen to her that day was inspirational to me!  I understood in a heartbeat that the Lord was speaking to my own heart in all of this…and He was using Evie and her “Ups” to teach me something. Evie embraced what she saw in that splash of yellow leaves wholeheartedly! I had turned away from them. The very sight of those infamous yellow leaves filled me with fear once more. However, that patch of yellow leaves was also the place where mine and Evie’s stories intersected. This fact alone was enough evidence for me to know that God was up to something!

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“Listen to My Counsel, for my instruction will enlighten you.  You’ll be wise not to ignore it.”

(Proverbs 8:33)

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 Evie’s ‘Ups’ are only one of God’s countless creations walking on this earth among us…but perhaps one of the most unique and beautifully designed! Consider the way the Giraffe walks…how he carries himself throughout his life. In his homeland of Africa, he is called with great respect, “The Sturdy One.” He moves with such grace and an elegance all his own; yet stands firm when standing before a predator.  He doesn’t settle for the sustenance of the smaller animals found in the low places of the land, but seeks and finds his nourishment in the leaves of the Acacia Trees which only grow in the high places. Equipped with a 6-7ft. long neck, I believe the Giraffe walks closer to the Heart of his Creator than any other land animal on earth.   His great hooves are firmly planted in the soils of this earth…yet at the same time, his head remains fixed in the heavens above! Interestingly enough, it’s like God designed the Giraffe to walk in two different worlds at the same time…on this earth and in the heavens above!

Spiritually, did you know that God designed you and I to walk in two different worlds at the same time?  Thankfully, we don’t need a 6ft. neck to do so…instead, we have our High God to look up to and to count on in all our times of need.  When life presents us with a shift in seasons…when we spot those unexpected ‘splashes of yellow’ on our life’s green horizon; fear is not our default. Running away from change is not an option. We plant our feet firm on this earth, and choose to behave like little Evie’s ‘Ups’…’The Sturdy One.’ Then we ‘set our minds on things above (Col.3:2); because we are God’s children, those He designed to walk fearlessly in two different realms at once. An earthly one and a Heavenly one. With our hearts anchored to the Father’s Heart, we can trust His words to nourish and sustain us in every season, for they come to us from the Highest Heavens:

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“With our hearts anchored to the Father’s Heart, we can trust His words to nourish and sustain us in every season.”

–D. Allen–_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

” So, now beloved ones, stand firm, stable, and enduring.  Live your lives with unshakeable confidence.  We know that we prosper and excel in every season by serving the Lord…” (Corinthians 15:58)

Through little Evie’s fascination and newfound love of her ‘Ups,’ and God’s amazing timeliness concerning a dreaded ‘patch of yellow leaves’ high in the treetops of my own life, I came to know on a new and deeper level, the difference between what it looks like for a child of God to truly walk in the unexpected changes that new seasons usher into our lives… as opposed to what it looks like when we choose to run at the first sign of fear rushing in. Whatever the circumstances of the seasons surrounding us, we can be sure that our Father God is using them as His instruments to accomplish His Wise and Tender purposes in His children’s lives.

When I went to bed that same night, my head and heart were still bursting with wondrous thoughts of God’s giraffes, yellow leaves, and the little girl named Evie who introduced the ‘Ups’ to my heart in such a new and beautiful way. It was no secret that it was Evie’s little index finger doing all of the pointing that day… but rest assured, it was God’s Fingerprints all over it!

“And He (God) is the Perfect Father who leads us all…works through us all…and lives in us all!”

(Ephesians 4:6 TPT)

Dearest Heavenly Father…

Thank you for pursuing your children in the tender,

passionate,and creative ways that you do!

Teach us to drink deeply of all the pleasures of Your Hand, in all our

circumstances and changing seasons. Thank you for always being the

Lifter of our hearts and souls; and for faithfully Loving us even when

we fail You. You are, and always will be the Answer to our heart’s

deepest needs. We love You, Lord.

IN JESUS’ NAME…AMEN

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