“You have no idea how much time you have as a college student”
Says the recent college grad working hard at their first job.
“You should enjoy all the girls weekends you can”
Says the friend who just got married.
“Go on trips and weekend adventures and endless date nights while you can, it will never again be just the 2 of you”
Says the new mom with a newborn
“I used to worry about everything with my first”
Says the mom with 2 or 3 children.
”Enjoy them while they are young….they grow up too fast”
Says the mom who just sent her last off to college
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Seasons…
“I don’t want to be stressed out all the time.”
Says me to my husband.
“You were stressed out before we had kids…Women just get stressed out.” My husband is profound like that. Were those words supposed to encourage me? They did make me giggle.
Because he’s right. You see, I was stressed out with no children. I didn’t like to fold laundry, I battled over what to cook for dinner, I avoided cleaning my house. I look back and laugh… what in the world was I stressed out about? But I was. Yet I also remember loving those early newlywed years.
Was my stress any greater as a newlywed than it was as a college student? I really don’t think so. I remember many a long late night cramming for exams as an over achieving Elon student. I spent many days in early marriage wondering how in the world to care for a house and husband. Many sleepless nights, wondering if I’d ever get my baby to sleep through the night. Many a tired afternoon, wondering how I would survive life with 2 children under 2. Many days wondering why anyone would have more children? How could they manage?
Yet here is the thing…
God gives us Grace for the Season we are in.
Every single time I have ever felt that I can barely make it through, God comes in and His Grace sustains me.
For he promises “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
Psalm 16:6 tells us
“The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.”
We must believe that God has placed our boundary lines in pleasant places, and knows what we can and cannot handle. And He also knows that we cannot handle it without Him.
So college student, single friend, new mom--- My stress is no greater than your stress. My boundary lines just look different than yours. And both of our boundary lines have fallen in pleasant places. And God’s grace is sufficient enough for all of us.
Let us not wish our season away. Or believe the lie that someone else’s season is better than ours. Or that no one could understand how hard our season is. Or that life will just be easier when this season is over… because it won’t. This is the season you are in.
And when it is finally over, you will be in the next season, and it will be hard too…. yet His Grace will be just as sufficient.
I pray that in all the seasons God places me in I may be content and resting in that Grace.
“to accept her lot and be happy in her work—this is a Gift of God. She seldom reflects on the days of her life, because God keeps her occupied with Gladness of heart.”
Ecclesiastes 5:19b-20
