Seasons

In the past several months I have had to purge through life’s memories, pack tons of treasure troves, and prepare for a life change – moving from a large home to a small apartment.  Never had I realized the years of accumulation we had collected. For my husband, it was sixty years worth passed down from the generations before him. For me, collectibles and books were my passion through time.  

This season of change was not only overwhelming but exhausting in every way possible.  As parents of a struggling young adult now, challenges are still very fresh and new. Many of us see our kids grow up with crises and believe they will outgrow those moments of brokenness as they age.  That is not always the case.

I think of the parents whose children are still involved or addicted to drugs and alcohol.  Then there are the parents who have older teens and young adults chained by their eating disorders or sexual identity and porn issues.  What about the parents who find themselves back at square one with their child who has a mental illness or struggle with suicidal tendencies?  

Along the way, those tidal waves have taken parents under emotionally, mentally, physically, and even spiritually.  For some, those waves will subside. For others, it will linger. And for a few….it will fade completely. Until then, how do you even begin to survive, to stay afloat, in the midst of the seasonal storms of parenting?  

You pray.  You literally get down on your knees and cry out for God’s help.  You soak your mind into God’s Word, and let the Holy Spirit intercede on your behalf.  You let go of the things from the past and look up to God for the present and coming days ahead. You regroup with support buddies who can uplift and encourage you in your daily life as a parent.  You get counsel for yourself and anyone else in your family who wants and needs it. You remind yourself that this is a season so many parents face and you are not alone.

I’m glad that I am not alone, aren’t you?  As I was in transition with my move, there was a point in which I wanted to just give up.  I had no energy to keep going. I sat there and cried because it was just so overwhelming. Sound familiar?  That was a season for me. New changes. Some of them good, some of them not so good. I thank God that He was in it with me then and still remains with me now.

Yes, seasons come and seasons go. Seasons are difficult, seasons are easy, and seasons can be fruitless and plentiful.  No matter the season, God is in it with you. So, whatever crisis you are going through now, just know that you are not alone and there is a plan by God’s hand.  We may not understand why but we can trust in the Heavenly Father who knows and sees all. Nothing is without His hand in it.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 ESV

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven

Isaiah 43:18-19 ESV

“Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

Photo by Maria Shanina on Unsplash