Seasons.
As I write this, we are experiencing winter in all its glory. Two degrees with a wind chill of -18* and dropping like a rock as we move toward sundown. Baby, it’s COLD outside! As I’ve spoken with people today, I have been struck by the common thread of looking toward the weekend when it is forecasted to rise above freezing. Ah, hope for a warmer day. Hold on, friends, summer is coming!
I am certain, though, that there will be a day in mid-July when we will have similar conversations about changing seasons. But this time with the encouragement that cooler days are on their way and we just need to hold out till winter….
There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens…
Ecclesiastes 3:1
As a young mom, I determined to do my best at enjoying whatever stage (season) my kids were in at that moment. I heard too many mommas wishing away the precious, albeit difficult, moments they held in their hands as they pined for days ahead when diapers wouldn’t need changing and they could sleep for a full 8 hours at night. I fully understand the weariness of baby days and there is nothing wrong with looking forward to the next stage, as long as we don’t despise the moments we have right now. There are gems in each and every season. Right now is just as much of a gift as tomorrow.
I am doing my best to keep this awareness as I walk through a season of grief. Let’s be honest, most of us don’t want grief to be a season. We want it to be a moment, and a brief one at that! The season of grief resembles the season of new parenthood in a few ways. The work of grief can be messy and exhausting. But it can also be sprinkled with laughter as we remember sweeter times with friends and loved ones.
Grief can also come with comfort when we realize we aren’t alone. Just this week, I have been aware of significant loss around me – a friend’s father, a friend’s daughter, and a friend. Three different families, each with their own stories, and each walking through tremendous pain. My own grief, the most recent addition nearly 7 months in, has been stirred by the knowledge that other loved ones are walking a similar path that I am. I am both saddened by the losses and encouraged to know we aren’t alone. I find myself wanting to be exceedingly gentle and understanding of the odd cycle that includes exhaustion, bursts of creativity, teariness, brain fog, anger, and sudden outbursts of laughter. Exceedingly gentle with these families and myself.
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
As much as I want to, I am doing my best not to rush this season. I know that He is tenderizing my heart toward people around me because so many are walking through difficulty and have no one to confide in. I know that He is maturing me to look at His hope in the midst of the unimaginable. I know that He is deepening my understanding of who a good Father is by walking with me through it rather than rescuing me from it. I am doing my best not to wish this season away because I have lived long enough to know that God has really good gifts hidden among the tissues.
And I know that different seasons are ahead. Seasons of untethered joy. Seasons of victorious growth. Seasons of rest and refreshing. Each season filled with His faithfulness, love, and reassurance that…
You are adored.
You Are Adored 