Month: August 2014

I am a lover of seasons. Which is particularly ironic considering the fact that I have spent the vast majority of my life living in a place with two seasons. Hot and hotter. But no matter. In my mind there are four distinct seasons throughout the year and I do everything in my power to create an atmosphere inside my home that imitates what I wish was happening outside of my home.

And then there are times like this. August. What is the point of this month? My apologies to those celebrating birthdays, anniversaries, or any other such momentous occasions in August. But this month stinks. There is back to school, which I am eternally grateful for, but let’s look at it from this perspective…

Where I live, August is hot. Not just hot, but an it’s been hot for four months and the heat isn’t going away any time soon kind of hot. June and July are hot. Hotter, actually. But June and July bring days by the pool and backyard barbecues. There are vacations to look forward to and holidays to plan. But, August? August is day to day drudgery in the sweltering heat. August is work and school schedules, no vacations, no holidays to distract. Just life. Life in the heat. And I’m over it. Like ready to poke out my own eyes over it. Which is why, it should come as no surprise that I spent more than a normal amount of time at the craft store yesterday perusing aisles of holiday goods and stocking up on all things Halloween and Thanksgiving. I am looking beyond August.

But something dawned on me this morning, I spend a lot of time looking forward because today seems dull. Been there. Done that. And I’m looking for something to shake things up a bit. I realized that I’m like so many people I’ve seen and know.  The people in the world who seem to crave drama. They are always involved in some sort of emotional or relational crisis. They have always been something of an enigma to me and I’m often puzzled over why they feel the need to create such calamity in their own lives. Sometimes they try and drag me in. Sometimes, I’m trapped in it whether I want to be or not.  And I have to stop and wonder if, like me, it’s because they don’t know what to do with the here and now.

Do we spend our lives just waiting for the next season? There will be highs and lows, for sure, but in our anticipation of them, are we bored with the in between? What do we do when the roller coaster of our life levels out and the thrill is temporarily gone?

More often than not, I find myself growing complacent. I get stuck in a rut. My time with God becomes a little less consistent and I fill the extra space in my head with meaningless dribble. I get caught up in my own thoughts. Or, more dangerously, I discount the time as insignificant and let it blow past.

But today, as I finished reading I Corinthians, Paul said something that struck me. He spent most of this letter to the church at Corinth addressing issues that they had raised with him. The church was trying to navigate the waters of Christianity in a sea of corruption and immorality and often times, failing miserably. Paul addressed division and disorder in the church. He has also tackled such issues as sexual immorality and idolatry and gave the believers direction regarding worship, freedom, and spiritual gifts. The church at Corinth was dealing with some drama. They needed wisdom and so they went to Paul with their questions. He gave them all of the specific instruction he needed to, informed them that others would be coming and going, and left the Corinthians with these final instructions.

“Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. And do everything with love.” -1 Corinthians 16:13-14 NLT

That’s it. He spent page after page giving them directions, dealing with their issues. But the bottom line was simple. Regardless of what may or may not be going on around you, just do this.

What do we do in the in between? When there’s no mountain to scale and no valley to be stuck in? In between the seasons, the highs and lows of life, instead of trying to create them, instead of trying to avoid them, instead of looking out for the next big thing…

“Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. And do everything with love.”

Dear Moms of Back to Schoolers,
You’ve met today with a mix of emotions. You’re loose summer schedule of pool time, late nights, and movies in the middle of the day has been replaced by school bells, packing lunches, mounds of homework, and living out of your car. Here we go, back to school.

On the other hand, you won’t have to hear the words “I’m bored” every waking moment of the day, you can put your referee stripes back in the drawer for nine months, and there’s a chance your house will actually look like it’s inhabited by humans for at least a few hours each day. It’s Back to School!

But, regardless of whether you are dreading or anticipating the start of a new school year, you are most likely a ball of emotions today. As your kids head out the door with excitement, your heart aches with the realization that they are a year older and time isn’t slowing down. Hug your babies, whether they are 5 or 15. Cry today. It’s okay. It’s time to go back to school.

To those of you whose kids aren’t looking forward to going back to school. Perhaps they are headed to a new school and are feeling nervous and uneasy. Maybe they know the problems from last year will be waiting for them when they set foot on campus this year. Pray with your kids. Remind them that they aren’t going alone. Encourage them. Hug them tightly. Send them off with the reminder that we “can do ALL things through Christ, who gives us strength”- Philippians 4:13. Cling to that promise today, Mom. Because sometimes there’s nothing harder than taking your kids back to school.