The hot days of August in Mississippi are still hanging around, but the people are beginning to anticipate Fall. A local coffee shop is already serving Pumpkin Spiced Lattes, and I am melting over here. All this Fall talk has me reflecting on the seasons beginning to change.
We moved the son to college so the shift has begun to having one child at home. I just asked my sweet hubby how did we manage four-the schedule is busy with just one. We
are entering a new season in parenting and marriage.
Over the years, I know we experienced many seasons.
Years ago serving as our church children and youth minister with two small girls in tow and a husband who worked an odd shift at the hospital, I came to a crisis. It hit us that we were running in circles and not meeting our family goals of my being home more with our growing girls. Philip found a job that had us move closer to my family and allowed me to be at home. A new season had begun for our little family.
My pastor friend quickly told me that I would be back to working for the church soon. Reflecting on our conversation, I told him that I had my own children’s ministry going on and would be fine. Little did I know that we would add two more to our little crew.
We moved again two years later to begin our life in Tupelo. We found a place to call home and a church to give our children a solid foundation. Our seasons of little children to teenagers to me shifting b
ack into the work force have all come and gone-we still can find ourselves shifting into our new season of life.
A Time for Everything
3 There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:
2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
6 a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace. Ecclesiastes 3
Our lives ebb and flow through many different seasons?
When we look at our current situation and can not imagine making it through, we can blink and quickly be in a new time of life. Ecclesiastes tells us that there is a time for everything. If the Bible tells us the season are a regular part of our lifetime, then we need to embrace the season we find ourselves.
What are things to help me through this season?
- Dig into the Word- God’s Word is a perfect almanac for life. It is a guide for every season and experience under Heaven. Take time to daily digest His Word. Use the concordance to search for the specific issue your season requires.
- Prayer- Talking to God about our season brings about peace and direction. It doesn’t offer the easy way out, but it shifts our perspective on the issue. When we are praying for things, our reality of the situation is in clearer view. Take time to talk with God about the season you are facing. Journal your prayers, create a prayer closet with scriptures that direct you in the particular season.
- Find Comrades in Arms- there are other Moms walking through the same season. Help one another by exchanging babysitting or organizing for one another or bulk cooking together. Join a group like Moms in Prayer or MOPS. These groups offer parents in similar life seasons who are focusing on God’s world view to their situation. Find a mentor who has walked through your season already and fought the good fight. Ask them to join you in walking this season out together.
- Take care of yourself. Exchange bedtime routine with your spouse so you can take a bath. Take a walk or join an exercise routine to keep you fit mentally and physically. Eat foods that are good for you-too much of anything can make us not our best selves.
- Take care of your marriage. Date your spouse. No matter the season you need to spend time together where you do not talk about surviving the season of life. Put the kids to bed early and watch a movie. Exchange babysitting with another couple. Go to an afternoon movie. Take a bike ride or a walk. Find something that you like to do together-it doesn’t have to cost money. One day we will be out of the season with any aged child in our home so we need to have built a healthy marriage.
The seasons in the grand scheme of life are short and quick. We can embrace the days of littles under foot when we realize that we quickly exchange it for hormonal teenagers. Our seasons of life with children at home are very short. A marriage is a lifetime and our children live at home for an average of 18-20 years. I have already lived longer with Philip than I did in my childhood home. We have been married for 27 years with 23 of those child-free, but looking at our married future we have many years ahead for a child-free life.
As we prepare our closets for the change of weather, we need to change our emotional minds for the change of seasons in our lives. What season of life do you find yourself in? How are you adjusting to the changes? God tells us in Ecclesiastes that we face many different seasons. He ordained it so He will see us through those seasons.
Love this so much!!
Thanks Christina! You helped me through one busy & crazy season!