For many of us Spring Break is now over and back to reality is smacking us in the face. Back to school and jobs. Back to getting up and out early. Back to making lunches. Back to the regular {crazy} routine. But it’s hard to go back to all these things when the taste of summer we just experienced brings with it Spring Fever.
As much I love summer, this year I am not ready. If I could freeze time despite Oklahoma’s Spring wind that I despise, I would. For us going back to school and marching forward means graduation is coming. In two months, exactly, my daughter (our oldest) will walk across the stage. In three months after that she’ll be settling into her new home away from home with sorority recruitment already behind her.
It’s an exciting, yet sad time. A time to close chapters and a time to open new doors. A time to say goodbye to what has always been and a time to embrace what’s new.
Sound a little like Ecclesiastes?
“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and time to uproot…a time to weep and time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance…a time to to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing…”
Well, it just so happens the book of Ecclesiastes is what my husband is preaching through right now. Both at church and in our house we’ve been hearing/talking a lot about time, meaninglessness and everything “under the sun.” Much as struck me from this book; two things in particular as it relates to this current season our family is in.
1. Everything in the world or “under the sun” as the writer in Ecclesiastes 1 puts it seems meaningless. But could it be that we gain meaning in this world by coming face to face with the brokenness of the world? Does it take knowing sadness to experience true joy? In other words, does it take seeing how fleeting, frustrating and/or futile life is to realize what we really long for doesn’t exist “under the sun”?
What we want is permanent happiness and perfect peace. But until we embrace the reality that we cannot control or tame time, or find “life” where it was not meant to be found, we will be discontent. This is because we were made for another world; made for something more. True life, joy, peace and contentment can only come from above the sun – in Christ. In him is where I have life, meaning, purpose and true joy.
Therefore, holding tightly on to my time with children as wonderful as it is cannot ultimately give me life. And as much as my identity is wrapped up in being a mom, my identity must be rooted in Christ in order to rest in my purpose not being diminished when my kids fly out of the nest.
2. If there is a season for everything, there is great hope knowing that whatever pain, suffering or sadness we experience will come to an end. But while we are in a season it is okay to not be okay, because that is the season we are in. That is so freeing to me! That means it is okay for me to be sad while in this season of sadness. I don’t have to pretend I’m not, apologize for being a downer or try to be any way other than how I am. And when other people around us are in a certain season, why are we not okay with letting them stay there? Why do we want to try to fix it when it is not yet time?
I love this quote from author Zach Eswine, “Humanity still has Eden in its veins.” We were created for everything to be right in the world. And this is what we still long for.
Your life season may look very different than mine. Some of you have little ones where the only kind of graduation on your mind is graduating out of diapers. For others, your kids are so long gone that you have stood the test of time to be able to tell me with great certainty that the best is yet to come! Even so, it doesn’t seem right to me, right now, that my child should be moving on from me.
Praise God I have a Savior who was the only One who tamed time. When His hour had come, the world went dark as He gave himself up to be crucified for the sin of all His people throughout all of time. After three days He ascended into heaven where He sits at the right hand of God ruling and reigning over all time. So now this Easter week and during this bitter-sweet graduation season, I look to Him knowing that “under the sun/Son” there will be pain and sorrow, but He makes all things beautiful in its time.
so weird to be in a season where you are sad and your daughter is so excited isn’t it? btw, i still remember our visits to waco way back, when we visited holly & brandon and she was toddling around. hard to believe she is now that grown up girl:) i’m sure it’s even harder for you!