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Ecc 3:1-8
For everything there is a season,
a time for every activity under heaven.
A time to be born and a time to die.
A time to plant and a time to harvest.
A time to kill and a time to heal.
A time to tear down and a time to build up.
A time to cry and a time to laugh.
A time to grieve and a time to dance.
A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones.
A time to embrace and a time to turn away.
A time to search and a time to quit searching.
A time to keep and a time to throw away.
A time to tear and a time to mend.
A time to be quiet and a time to speak.
A time to love and a time to hate.
A time for war and a time for peace.
Seasons have never been more closer to my heart than they are today as I grow into being an "older" person season.
As we go through our seasons, we have ideas of what each season of life will be like: the season of a newly wed couple; the season of rearing children; the season of sending children into the world as adults; the season of enjoying peace at home and exploring life as an older adult; the season of grandchildren coming to spend the night and then going home so you can rest; and possibly the season of grieving the loss of a spouse. As we go through these seasons we understand why God has seasons. Not all our seasons will be the same, but we have ideas about them and dreams about how we see them coming to pass.
The seasons of raising children takes an extreme amount of time and energy and we see why our bodies cease to bear children at a certain time in our lives. We naturally lose some of our energy and we don't seem to have the pace we used allowing us to do multiple things at a time. God designed our bodies perfectly for each season.
As I go through one of "my" seasons I struggle to allow myself to not be all I was when I was 36 with 4 small children and getting everyone where they need to be and supper all cooked and the floors clean and washed along with laundry and all that "stuff." OH, and did I mention, I also home schooled them all and did the lawn care for the house.
The season I am in now is one I never expected to have. I am in the season of having an adult daughter live with me along with her 2 children and another on the way. I am finding vacuuming the carpet and cleaning the floors happens maybe every 2 weeks. All the activities that I thought would have ceased full-time activity in my home by now and going full force. A cranky teenager, a non-stop 4 year old, a new born on the way, and people not always cooperative in helping keep some semblance of order. Major disaster occurring on a regular basis.
My body was not made to handle every aspect of raising children again, but there are days I must do it. Children are precious and innocent in this world and need the best chance to grow in a loving safe home. I have to make decisions on what I have to let go as I cannot be what I was at 36. I am 64 and that is not on the agenda now. So I choose to not dust, not vacuum and wash floors so that I can focus on driving to gymnastics or school if I have to. I have frozen dinners for the microwave as I do not cook for days at a time. I have a terribly dirty kitchen many days.
This is not to complain, but to express to you that you need to allow yourself to flow and grow in your season. What was expected at 36 cannot be accomplished at 64. That is ok. You may need to lighten your load of friends. You might need to take frequent breaks or vacations to reenergize. Bend, mold, and shape into your season. Until the time we stop breathing there will be a constant change of seasons. Bend, mold, and shape into what you need and what God wants you to be wherever you are in life. Forgive yourself for not being like you were in a past season!!! Love and be at peace.
