A Beautiful Christian Fall Poem (Free Printable)

A Beautiful poem by Francis Ridley Havergal. Print the Christian Poem out and add to your fall decor!

Check out Homemaking with Purpose & Encouraging Bible Verses (KJV) to Stand Strong in Spiritual Battles next!

Is Thy Life-Summer Passing autumn poem by Francis Ridley Havergal with framed printable, fall leaves, pumpkins, and warm cozy seasonal decor

There is something about autumn that makes us slow down.

The leaves begin to change, the days grow shorter, and we are reminded that every season has its appointed time. Summer gives way to autumn, and autumn will eventually give way to winter.

But perhaps the changing seasons can remind us of something more than the passing of time.

They can remind us that God is not finished with us simply because one season of life is coming to an end.

I recently came across this beautiful poem by Francis Ridley Havergal, and the words immediately caught my heart:

“For God can make the autumn
The glory of the year.”

What a beautiful thought.

Sometimes we look at a changing season and assume the best must be behind us. We may look at our lives and wonder if our most joyful days have already passed. Perhaps we are getting older, our children are growing, our circumstances have changed, or a season we loved is coming to an end.

But this poem offers a gentle reminder: God can make something beautiful out of the autumn, too.

Is Thy Life-Summer Passing?

The poem begins with a question:

Is thy life-summer passing?
Think not thy joys are o’er.

Those words feel especially appropriate in autumn.

We naturally associate summer with warmth, growth, sunshine, and abundance. Autumn can feel like a winding down. The leaves fall, the gardens fade, and the world becomes quieter.

Yet autumn has its own beauty.

There are golden leaves, crisp mornings, cozy evenings, harvests, and a quietness that summer doesn’t have.

And isn’t life often like that?

We can become so focused on what is changing that we fail to notice what God is bringing forth in the new season.

Something for Every Season

The next lines say:

Thou hast not seen what autumn
For thee may have in store.

I love the hope found in those words.

You don’t know what God may have in store for you in the season ahead.

We don’t get to see the whole picture.

A new season may not look the way we expected. It may not have the excitement or familiarity of the season before it. But that doesn’t mean it won’t be good.

Sometimes God uses quieter seasons to teach us things that busy seasons never could.

Sometimes He gives us opportunities to encourage someone else, serve our families in a new way, grow in wisdom, or simply learn to rest in Him.

And sometimes the very thing we thought was an ending turns out to be the beginning of something beautiful.

“The Fairest Time of All”

One of my favorite parts of this poem is the beautiful description of autumn:

Calmer than breezy April,
Cooler than August blaze,
The fairest time of all may be
September’s golden days.

There is something peaceful about those words.

Autumn isn’t trying to be summer.

It has its own beauty.

And perhaps that’s a lesson for us, too.

We don’t have to spend our lives trying to return to a season that has already passed. We don’t have to wish ourselves back into yesterday.

There can be beauty in today.

There can be purpose in the season we are currently living.

There can be joy in things that we wouldn’t have appreciated in an earlier season.

And there can be a quiet richness that only comes with time.

“Press On”

The final stanza is such an encouragement:

Press on, though summer waneth
And falter not, nor fear
For God can make the autumn
The glory of the year.

What a wonderful reminder to carry with us.

Press on.

Don’t be afraid simply because something is changing.

Don’t assume that the best is behind you.

Don’t give up because the season looks different than you expected.

God is still God in autumn.

He is still working.

He is still faithful.

And He is still able to bring beauty, purpose, joy, and blessing into the season ahead.

A Free Printable for Your Home

I wanted to share this poem with you in a tangible way, so I created a simple 8.5 × 11 autumn printable featuring the poem Is Thy Life-Summer Passing? by Francis Ridley Havergal.

I kept the background white and added a delicate autumn border with warm leaves, berries, branches, and pumpkins so it will be beautiful in your home without requiring a great deal of colored ink. Lets face it, ink’s expensive!

You can print it and tuck it into a Bible, add it to a prayer journal, place it in a frame, or simply keep it somewhere you’ll see it throughout the autumn season.

I hope these words encourage you as much as they encouraged me.

Perhaps you’re entering a new season right now. Perhaps something you’ve loved is changing. Perhaps you’re looking back at the summer of your life and wondering what could possibly come next.

Take heart.

You haven’t seen what God may have in store.

Your autumn may be beautiful in ways you cannot yet imagine.

And by God’s grace, it may become the glory of the year.