Can you believe that fall is practically here?
No! All the Halloween decorations are already out at Lowe’s… I’m actually surprised they don’t have the Christmas stuff out, at the rate the stores have been going lately.
Have you been to Hobby Lobby? Christmas is slowing creeping toward the front entrance! The leaf decorations better watch their backs!
Haha! Pretty soon, Christmas is going to start taking over right after the 4th of July!
Yes. I know we shouldn’t be surprised by the change of seasons. It happens 4 times a year every year here in the midwest. ?
Ha – And I should accept this since I’ve lived here all my life! Why is it so hard sometimes? I just want summer to last forever.? I’m not ready for cold weather.
I do love the fall, but winter? Winter is a tough season. It’s hard not to think about all the short days spent indoors. All those bare trees and the brown grass can be sort of depressing.?
Do you ever feel like there are seasons in your life where you also dread what’s coming next? And you just kinda drag your feet in the current season? I mean not just the weather, but like new phases of life?
I get it. And it’s true. Sometimes we just want to hold on to those infant days. Or the toddler phase. Or the sweet preschool stage. Or the grade-schoolers. There’s this aching in my mother’s heart to want to hold onto where I am. But the darn seasons just keep changing. And my kids just keep moving on.
Yes they do! Why do we sometimes dread what’s next though?
Maybe it’s normal to dread what is unknown about a new phase of life. And I think it’s easy to dread new territory because of the not-so-great stereotypes that come with a phase. (Like the terrible two’s or the hormonal pre-teen and rebelious teen years.) And there are many things about those stages that are going to be tough.
Yes – you hear so many scary things that you project into your own life. Sometimes I’m trying to problem-solve problems that don’t even exist yet. Or may never exist! Does that sound crazy?!?
No! That makes you a good mom!
Oh phew! Well, then I’m a REALLY good mom. (Ha.)
Well, I’ve always known that! But I think it’s more because even though you are anxious about the future, you know, as I do that the future is in really good hands.
True. God created seasons. So I guess He knows all about the seasons that will come in our lives too. And maybe, like winter, spring, summer, and fall, they also have a purpose.
And not only do they have purpose, but God promises to make them beautiful in His time. Now that sounds a bit crazy!
Not crazy at all. What sounds crazy to us is sometimes God’s wisdom. The “in His time” part is what we need a better grasp of. At least I do. Because we want everything to be instant.
That’s so true. Sometimes we need to remember that some winters are longer and even colder than the year before.
Like last winter! It was so long! I would go out to the mailbox and think, “I’m going to DIE right here from the cold wind,” (I can be a bit over-dramatic, you know).
But then I would tell myself, “Summer WILL come again. It doesn’t seem like it, but it will.”
Haha!
But seriously, do you ever think like – I am stuck in this season FOREVER? I do sometimes when I’m in a challenging place in our marriage, or in a tight financial stretch.
That’s true. When we are in tough seasons of life, we do have a hope that this season will not last forever, but sometimes it’s hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Really hard! Like me-without-my-glasses, hard. ?#legallyblind
And we might even grieve a little when the season does finally end and a new, unknown season begins, even if it promises new life and sunshine. (Like when we sent our babies to kindergarten! They are going to grow so much in good ways!)
Yes!! I think the grieving is totally okay. It’s part of the process. But knowing that God can use every season to make something beautiful in our lives makes it sooo much easier to breathe and embrace the next one, instead of getting really, sadly stuck.
What if we try to embrace every season for all it’s worth? And know that God, who makes it beautiful, is with us through each one.
Through life’s winters, long or short, and its summers, and everything in between.
Soaking in the Truth
Scripture to encourage you:
- “There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1)
- “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; Yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” (Ecclesiastes 3:11)
- “And we know that in all things god works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28, NIV)
- “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20, NIV)
Music to inspire you:
Readings and Resources to come alongside of you:
- “The Seasons of Motherhood” – Messy Motherhood
- “A Letter to Moms” – Joanna Gaines
Related Posts on Texting The Truth:
Living Out the Truth
Ideas to try:
- Feeling stuck in a wintry season? Pray and ask God to help you see beauty and purpose in it.
- Make a list of things you are thankful for — it can be very small things. Look for those little things, and thank God for them.
- Stay with us throughout the next several weeks as we explore all different seasons and times that we go through as women and moms, looking for the beauty and purpose in it all!
{These suggestions are ideas from novice moms. Sometimes our life situations need more.
In that case, seeking out professional help is the right call.}