“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1)
He declared his love for me in front of his friends, and it melted my heart!
When my son Ethan was in second grade, he usually rode his bike to school with my husband, James. One day, James couldn’t go, so I drove Ethan to school. When we arrived, he jumped out of the car, his huge backpack jostling up and down. He ran about 10 feet and then whipped around, looked at me and — surrounded by other elementary school kids — yelled at the top of his lungs, “I LOVE YOU, MOM!”
Using sign language, he made the sign for “I love you” on each hand. In our family, we call that “double love.” I choked up right there in my minivan. I treasured that moment of him yelling in a crowd of his classmates, unembarrassed and totally devoted to his dear mom. In just a few years, I knew he would get out of the car, head toward middle school and never look back.
And that’s OK. Every stage of life has a beauty and delight all its own. Sometimes when hard days and seasons come, we fall into the trap of wishing for the “good old days” instead of seeing that the “good now days” are happening right in front of our eyes.
My son Ethan isn’t little anymore. He’s a junior in high school who is already taller than me (and I’m 5 foot, 10 inches!). Now when I drop him off at school, I don’t expect him to turn around and yell, “I LOVE YOU, MOM!” That would be a little weird. But when he sometimes says “love you” at bedtime, that is just right.
James and I have made the decision to enjoy every season of parenting, no matter what it holds. We are living in the “good now days.” And so are you! Whether you are a parent or not, you are in the exact season God has planned for your life … even when it doesn’t feel like it.
Solomon writes in Ecclesiastes 3:1 that “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” There are some seasons we want to savor forever and other seasons we want to skip all together. Yet every season contributes something valuable to this precious life. We can’t stop or slow down time. Before I know it, my son will graduate from high school and go out into the big, wide world. The house won’t be the same without him, and I know we will all miss him so much.But I choose to believe that in my future season of letting go, God will be working, and it will still be good. Maybe you have little ones, and you’re exhausted and sleep deprived. You kind of wish you could fast forward a few months. Or maybe you’re parenting teens who take every chance to rebel, and you’re at the end of your rope. Take heart. There’s beauty to be found in today.
Whatever season you’re in, God is working it all out for good.
What season of life are you currently in? Whatever it is, commit to enjoying this phase while you have it because with God, you’re living in the good now days.
Lord Jesus, for every season, I give You praise. You know everything about me, and I know I can trust You to guide me. Please draw my family members to Your heart and direct them so they will walk on Your path, accomplishing great things for the Kingdom of God. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
(Written by Arlene Pellicane; Proverbs 31 Ministries)
