Seasons Change

There are years when it seems like autumn goes by in a flash, but this year, we’ve had a chance to really enjoy the transition from summer to fall to winter. It’s been nice to have a little time to enjoy this season of moving from one space to the next.

This year, the changing seasons are hitting our family in another way, as we have a son looking ahead to graduation and the possibilities that lay ahead for his future. I recently took him on a college visit, and somewhere between walking across campus, checking out the dorms, and eating in the cafeteria, one question kept coming to mind - how did we get here so fast?

That’s the strange, beautiful tension of parenting. We spend years preparing our kids to become independent, and then, when they start doing exactly that, we have to learn how to let them. Maybe that's why the changing seasons feel so fitting. We know summer can't last forever. We know the leaves have to fall, and a new season will come. And we know our kids weren't meant to stay little.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 reminds us, “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.”

This season of parenting looks different from the ones before it. Our kids may need less hands-on help and more prayer. Less direction and more encouragement. And we may need to learn to trust God with the next chapter, even when we can't see exactly what it will look like.

Isn’t it great that God isn't surprised by any of this? He was there in the little-kid years, and He'll be there as our kids step into adulthood. His faithfulness doesn't change just because our role does.

So, if you're in a similar season, I hope you'll join me in embracing the excitement and the bittersweet feelings that come with it. Let's dream with our kids about what's next, encourage them to take those big steps, and pray for them every step of the way. And if you find yourself getting a little sentimental along the way, I’m right there with you. We can be excited about who our kids are becoming and still miss who they were.

Because every season holds something worth celebrating, even when we're not quite ready to let the last one go.