Psalm 127:3 (KJV)
3 Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.
Proverbs 31:28-31 (ESV)
28 Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: 29 “Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.”30 Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.31 Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates.
We are about to embark upon a new school year, and for many moms this can be a very stressful time of year. Some of you will spend a day or two scurrying around in the stores, to purchase school supplies before they are all gone. I must say that shopping for school supplies was actually my daughter’s favorite thing to do, in preparation for going back to school. Her eyes seem to light up when we went into a store and the school supply lists were there for the parents to pick up. Getting new school supplies was a big deal for her. She would come home and spend at least an hour or so organizing and arranging her supplies.
My husband and I were blessed that our daughter was always excited for school to start back. She loved learning and she loved getting to spend time with her friends again. I must admit she has always been quite the little social butterfly.
Our girl is all grown up now, and I no longer get to spend my days driving her back and forth to school and to practices and to her basketball games. Oh and let’s not leave out piano lessons, choir rehearsals and those wonderful birthday parties. Can you believe I was also running a home-based business while doing all of this? Those days were exhausting and rewarding all at the same time.
We have had lots of great conversations while driving all over the creation and oh the laughter, we have had more than our share of giggles. We have made memories that will truly last a lifetime, while riding on four wheels.
I know that there are moms out there that are totally excited and ready for their children to return to school, while many others just don’t know if they will have the energy or the strength to go through another school year having a constant nonstop schedule. But someway, somehow God gives us the stamina and strength to get through those long hard days, and believe it or not, you may actually miss those days when they are gone.
For some of you, this may be your child’s first year away in college, so you may be experiencing your first year as an empty nester. This can be a little bit challenging for those of us that are helicopter moms.
Ok, I am admitting it, I was a helicopter mom and if you ask my daughter she probably thinks that I still am to some degree. I have definitely tried to pull back and give her the space that she needs now that she is an adult. However, I must admit it is hard.
I was blessed that when my daughter went off to college my home-based business that kept me occupied, but for many moms this is not the case and they literally feel lost the first year that there is no child at home. I can relate to this in some ways as I look back at when our daughter was going to her first day of kindergarten. She was a bit nervous and excited at the same time about going to a new school and making new friends, but I knew once she got there she would be just fine. She has always made friends very easily.
I was ok as I walked her to her class to meet her new teacher, but as I drove back home that morning the tears started to roll down my cheeks. I was a stay at home mom and I had truly enjoyed and felt incredibly blessed that I had been able to stay home with her. I knew I would miss her and it was sad to me that she was growing up. I know that most of you that are mothers can relate to this.
When I walked into my house that morning I knew that I had entered a new season of life. Things were changing for both of our worlds. I decided that very morning, that it was time for me to really focus on building my business stronger and I did just that.
The point of my lesson today is, that we must enjoy the journey. We must embrace every new phase of our children’s growth and development. Although parts of the journey may be stressful and we may even experience sadness as our children start to leave the nest, the joy that we experience as we raise them surpasses every difficult day. It surpasses every tired and exhausting minute and even the times when we just don’t think we can do it another day the journey we take as parents is still worth it.
Enjoy whatever season of parenting you are in. Take some moments to just breathe, even if it’s only inside your car while you are waiting for them to get out of school or ball practice. Take some moments just to inhale and exhale.
There were so many days that I journaled and read my bible as I waited in my car for my daughter to get out of basketball practice. It re-centered me and gave me a fresh perspective and the strength to get through the evening chores of making dinner, doing dishes etc.
Savor the moments that you have with your children this school year. Make
sweet memories and you will be able to move into your next season of life with no regrets, as you look back to reflect on the good old days. By the way, one day these hard, long stressful and busy days will be what you will call the good old days.
Trust me when I tell you, that God will give you the strength for your journey. He will give you wisdom for your journey. He will guide you on your journey and He will some day give you rest from your journey.
Embrace the blessing of this season whether a mother or a grandmother or an aunt we are loved and we are definitely needed, so buckle up and have a safe and a happy new school year. God has great things in store for us this year, so let’s enjoy our journey while trusting God for strength each step of the way.
Below are scriptures that I have posted to help you during those times when you need strength, wisdom, guidance or rest as you journey through this new school year. May you find strength and comfort in them.
Strength for your Journey:
Psalm 138:3(NLT)
3 As soon as I pray, you answer me; you encourage me by giving me strength.
Philippians 4:13 (KJV)
13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
1 Kings 18:46(NLT)
46 Then the Lord gave special strength to Elijah. He tucked his cloak into his belt[a]and ran ahead of Ahab’s chariot all the way to the entrance of Jezreel.
2 Timothy 4:17(NLT)
17 But the Lord stood with me and gave me strength so that I might preach the Good News in its entirety for all the Gentiles to hear.
Isaiah 40:29 (KJV)
29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.
Wisdom for the Journey
Proverbs 2:6 (NLT)6 For the Lord grants wisdom! From his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
Ecclesiastes 2:26(NLT)
26 God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy to those who please him.
Guidance for the Journey
Psalm 23:1-3(NLT)
1 The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. 2 He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams.3 He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.
Psalm 48:14(NLT)
14 For that is what God is like. He is our God forever and ever, and he will guide us until we die.
Psalm 32:8(NLT)
8 The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.
Isaiah 30:21(NLT)
21 Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say, “This is the way you should go,” whether to the right or to the left.
Rest from the Journey
Matthew 11:28-30(NLT)
28 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”
Genesis 2:2-3 (NLT) Even God took time to rest from His work.
2 On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested[a] from all his work. 3 And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation.
Mark 6:31-32 (NLT)
31 Then Jesus said, “Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.” He said this because there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn’t even have time to eat.32 So they left by boat for a quiet place, where they could be alone.
Exodus 33:14 (NLT)
14 The Lord replied, “I will personally go with you, Moses, and I will give you rest—everything will be fine for you.”
Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT)
11 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.
