December 19th

Seasons

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

 a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
 a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
 a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
 a time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
 a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to throw away;
 a time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

           

            Timing is everything.  Recognizing what season we are living in is essential to parenting because not everything works the same way at different points of the year.  That is true of our jobs.  That is true of our activities.  That is true of our relationships and spiritual lives.

            My son loves to take his scooter outside and zoom up and down our private street.  He can be out there for hours, enjoying the movement and the breeze and the peace.  Scooting does not work as well when it is 10 below zero outside, it is dark for 21 hours out of the day, and the road is covered with several inches of snow and ice.  It is still a good activity that he loves, but the timing is not right.

            As parents of special needs children, our lives are made up of seasons.  There are seasons when we do not sleep more than an hour at a time for weeks on end.  There are seasons when our kids will only eat 3 foods.  There are seasons when driving will put them to sleep.  There are seasons when driving will excite them and keep them awake.  There are seasons when they refuse to be with anyone but you.  There are seasons when they want nothing to do with you.  There are seasons when they are always sick and there are seasons when they want the same book read to them over and over and over and over again.

            When we are in the middle of a season, it is easy to despair as we fear that this is now what our life will always be.  This is especially true of young parents with toddlers.  I was convinced that I would never sleep more than 4 hours in a night again or have my son eat anything other than scrambled eggs.  But it was just a season.  My son grew and developed and now has the taste buds of a gourmet chef.  There are a multitude of other challenges, but that season has passed.

            We also have seasons in our relationship with God.  There are seasons when we are in complete alignment and hear His voice at every turn.  There are seasons when we are in the desert and can neither feel His presence nor hear His voice and we wonder if this is just how life will be from now on.  It is a season…often propelled by lack of sleep and an overabundance of chaos in the house.  This season will pass in time.

            There is a time for everything, both good and bad.  We live in a world of impermanence and transition.  Nature plays out this reality for us all the time.  Yes, we are in the heart of winter.  The days are short and cold, but in time the snow will melt and the trees will bloom again as the temperatures get warmer and the days get longer.  It will happen because no season lasts forever.

A moment to reflect:

What kind of season do you find yourself in at the moment?