In the last week, both my parents celebrated their 80th birthdays and it was a joy for my sister and family, Dad's two sisters, and my family to get to be with them to join in on all the fun. There is so much I could tell you but as I reflect back on it, I am remembering the importance of seasons in one's life and learning to accept where you are.Take my parents for example, both have had full lives and now have retired in Florida. They still are active helping and serving in their community. They have time to enjoy the scenery as well as take off from the daily routine when they want to. My aunts both find themselves in still another season with grown kids and spouses who are no longer around. They travel (or don't) as they can and can golf or sit and read knowing that it is their choice. My sisters and I are both in the sandwich generation of Boomers with aging parents and children who still need us (and trust me, we want to be needed). We are both insanely busy with ministry and family and seldom have a second to spare. Our husbands are crazy busy at professional jobs and concerned about retirement and what we are all going to live on. My daughter and nieces are finishing those college years and in the crazy 20's where all the major decisions of life are made.
Serving the Lord in our season is very important. Even as we share Christ and take on new challenges at church, we need to remember what season we are in. As a college student, I was free to travel on mission trips and stay up late working with youth ministries. As a young married, I had to devote some of my time to my husband so my time at church had to be adjusted. Talking all night on the phone to the girls just wasn't going to cut it. When I became a mom, I still volunteered at church, but I did things that Kelli could do with me or that I could do when she was at Mother's day out. The older she got, the more things changed. Kelli being in college brought more changes to our home as she moved in and out. Now as she heads to Southern Seminary in Louisville, the huge truck outside the house is a reminder that we are about to enter still another season of life for us all.
So what the point of all this reflection? The point is: Remember your season and serve in it. Don't try to rush things. Enjoy the babies, be patient with that teenager, and keep serving the Lord no matter what. Adapt to your season and rejoice in it. Look for ways to share Christ that fit you and your lifestyle. As YOU go, share the good news of Jesus Christ.
"He made the moon to mark the seasons; the sun knows when to set" (HCSB, Psalm 104:19).
