Seasons

Ecclesiastes 3:1
(New Century Version)

1There is a time for everything, and everything on earth has its special season.

If you continue to read this chapter, you will find that both the positive and negative aspects of life are mentioned.  Looking at it through this perspective makes life make a little more sense.  If not really easier sometimes.

Any of you who have read my blog from the beginning know that it started as a result of my oldest child turning 18 and leaving home for college and my angst and struggle with that transition.  Well, here we are, almost two years later.  Another child, my youngest child, is getting ready to head out into life on his own.  Another wrenching of my heart.  Another piece of it out there walking around bound to bump into hard times and all the things life tends to throw at us.

I find myself with the same worries as my baby graduates from high school and leaves for his military training as I did two years ago.  Who is going to gently wake him up in the mornings?  How will I be able to go to sleep at night not being able to make sure he's safely tucked into bed?  I know some (mostly the dads) will read that and raise an eyebrow, but some (all the moms) will know or imagine what these feelings are like.

Yes, I have to let go. Yes, I will.  And yes, I know it is an important season in both our lives.  But with this season there comes a little rain, too.  I remember the day this boy of mine was born.  Showing you to your big brother.  Having no idea that within a month colic would set in and I would have many, many sleepless nights.  But those were seasons, too.  Too many to mention in a short post about feelings.

So, for this next season of life, while hard and painful, it is with pride and love that I will let my last child go.  Mom's prayers will be going continually before God, son of mine, you are loved so much!!

Original Love

1 John 4:19
The Message (MSG)

19We, though, are going to love--love and be loved.  First we were loved, now we love.  He loved us first.

I have been thinking about this concept the last couple of days and being unable to get it off my mind, I decided it must be put into words.  This is not my first mention of love in this blog, but I do feel like there is an important element of love, especially God's love, that we miss sometimes.

As mentioned in a previous post, some of us don't really even know what love is.  Society, for sure, has confused it with so many different things.  But, if you really want to get down to it, love originated with God.  He is love.  I don't know about you, but there have been times in my own life where my perception of God was a little skewed.  I pictured Him sitting up in the sky somewhere on a big throne...with a stick of some kind.  Yep!  I figured He would use that on me if I did something bad.

That picture, even at this moment, makes me grin a little sheepishly.  I realize that that concept of God and love is a bit backwards and turned around.  He loved me, you, first!!  He is not waiting for us to love Him.  He is not waiting for us to get our lives all straightened out.  He is not waiting until we feel worthy of His love.  He is not waiting for us to even know how to love.  He loved us first.  Already.  Before.  In spite of!!

If you feel unworthy, sinful, ugly, guilty, shameful and somehow you think that means you don't deserve or can't be loved by God.  It's too late!  He already loves you and me and proved it via the cross.  And all He wants in return is for us to love Him back with that same kind of love.