I hear it all the time…the dreaded, “oh, you think it’s hard now, you just wait until they are older”. Let’s be REALLY honest with each other. That doesn’t help anyone. It doesn’t make me look forward to the future or encourage me in raising children and it doesn’t cause you to see the joy in your present circumstance with your children. The fact of the matter is, when we look at life in retrospect, we only remember the good. Moms of pre-teens or teenagers, you don’t remember every detail about the previous season of your life. Just as a mom of young children, I don’t remember every detail about having infants. And none of us remember what our lives were like before we had children. Let’s face it. We forget.
The truth is that in life, we have seasons. Ecclesiastes 3:1 “There is a time for everything, a season for every activity under heaven”. Just like the changing of our seasons in nature, there are positives and negatives for each one. Summer is my favorite season. I love it because we live at the pool and get to travel to the beach. My children can sleep late and wear bathing suits every day. There are no socks to wash and our laundry piles are much smaller because we wear less clothing. I can look at our pictures of our time on the beach and remember the fond memories and happiness we shared. However, what I failed to remember was how much my husband and I grumbled as we loaded the car, trying to make it all fit in our van. Or how long the drive took because our potty training children needed to potty every thirty minutes. In looking at that family beach picture, I also have forgotten how much we had to bribe our children to cooperate and smile and how each of us was profusely sweating in the suffocating humidity and burning sun. Looking back, we only remember the good.
The point is this: moms, no matter what season of life you are in, it’s the hardest. It’s hard because you are in it NOW. When you are no longer in that season, it will no longer be hard. It’s a matter of perspective.
Moms, we have forgotten the trials of our previous season. Instead of predicting the impending doom of the future of other moms and their children, let us commit to “encourage one another and build each other up” 1 Thess 5:11.
Raising children is a long-distance race. There are hills – some more steep than others – and rough terrain. The elements are not always in our favor. It’s agonizing at times. There are moments in which you want to quit. Sometimes the miles are long and it seems that we might not ever reach the finish line. You sweat, you cry…but up ahead is the finish line. The victory! Let’s be those spectators on the sidelines who cheer on and encourage other moms in the race. Let’s not tell them, “watch out. That next hill is a doozy!” But let us say, “it’s not going to be easy, but you can do it! I know you have what it takes and I am going to be here cheering you on the whole way!”
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.” Heb 12:1. Let us change our perspective on the race and the challenges up ahead. Let’s focus on what is good and tell those moms who are racing uphill, “Oh, you just wait! The victory is ahead! The view is amazing!”
“Oh…you just wait!”
