“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NIV)

He declared his love for me in front of his friends, and it melted my heart!

When my son Ethan was in second grade, he usually rode his bike to school with my husband, James. One day, James couldn’t go, so I drove Ethan to school. When we arrived, he jumped out of the car, his huge backpack jostling up and down. He ran about 10 feet and then whipped around, looked at me and — surrounded by other elementary school kids — yelled at the top of his lungs, “I LOVE YOU, MOM!”

Using sign language, he made the sign for “I love you” on each hand. In our family, we call that “double love.” I choked up right there in my minivan. I treasured that moment of him yelling in a crowd of his classmates, unembarrassed and totally devoted to his dear mom. In just a few years, I knew he would get out of the car, head toward middle school and never look back.

And that’s OK. Every stage of life has a beauty and delight all its own. Sometimes when hard days and seasons come, we fall into the trap of wishing for the “good old days” instead of seeing that the “good now days” are happening right in front of our eyes.

My son Ethan isn’t little anymore. He’s a junior in high school who is already taller than me (and I’m 5 foot, 10 inches!). Now when I drop him off at school, I don’t expect him to turn around and yell, “I LOVE YOU, MOM!” That would be a little weird. But when he sometimes says “love you” at bedtime, that is just right.

James and I have made the decision to enjoy every season of parenting, no matter what it holds. We are living in the “good now days.” And so are you! Whether you are a parent or not, you are in the exact season God has planned for your life … even when it doesn’t feel like it.

Solomon writes in Ecclesiastes 3:1 that “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” There are some seasons we want to savor forever and other seasons we want to skip all together. Yet every season contributes something valuable to this precious life. We can’t stop or slow down time. Before I know it, my son will graduate from high school and go out into the big, wide world. The house won’t be the same without him, and I know we will all miss him so much.

But I choose to believe that in my future season of letting go, God will be working, and it will still be good. Maybe you have little ones, and you’re exhausted and sleep deprived. You kind of wish you could fast forward a few months. Or maybe you’re parenting teens who take every chance to rebel, and you’re at the end of your rope. Take heart. There’s beauty to be found in today.

Whatever season you’re in, God is working it all out for good.

The same Solomon who wrote our key verse also wrote Psalm 127:3-4, saying, “Children are a heritage from the LORD, offspring a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth” (NIV).

What does it mean that kids are like arrows? An arrow goes to a place where an archer cannot go and accomplishes a purpose the archer cannot. With God’s help, children are launched out into the world to do good. Children are not a burden but a blessing.

Psalm 1:2-3 shows us how to make the most of every season and stage: “But whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither — whatever they do prospers” (NIV).

Right here, right now, you can prosper. What season of life are you currently in? Whatever it is, commit to enjoying this phase while you have it because with God, you’re living in the good now days.

Lord Jesus, for every season, I give You praise. You know everything about me, and I know I can trust You to guide me. Please draw my family members to Your heart and direct them so they will walk on Your path, accomplishing great things for the Kingdom of God. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY

Lamentations 3:37, “Who can speak and have it happen if the Lord has not decreed it?” (NIV)

RELATED RESOURCES

Have you ever had a moment when you felt totally alone? Have you ever been afraid that if people really knew you, they wouldn’t like you? In the moments when we shy away from letting people know us, or in the moments where we feel alone, we can look at what God says about us in His Word. “You have searched me, Lord, and you know me” (Psalm 139:1, NIV, emphasis added). Shop our new Known Cuff today!

Need help to really enjoy this season of motherhood? Arlene Pellicane’s book, 31 Days to Becoming a Happy Mom, is available in the bookstore.

CONNECT

Visit Arlene’s Happy Home University to learn more about parenting and marriage, which includes getting your children’s screen time more in line with your family values.

REFLECT AND RESPOND

How might constantly dreaming about the future and just waiting for the next stage of life rob you from experiencing God today?

What is something you treasure about your current season of life? Share with us in the comments!

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