A Time For Everything
“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” - Ecclesiastes 3:1
A common phrase that has come from this verse is, “This too shall pass.” This saying is usually used as a way to comfort others during hard seasons, but I have found myself recently using it to open my eyes to the beautiful season of life that I don’t want to miss.
The “little ones” season is not for the faint of heart. There are an abundance of obstacles that come with raising infants, toddlers, and pre-schoolers. Every day presents new challenges that need to be tackled alongside of recurring problems. And just because one strategy worked yesterday doesn’t mean it’ll work today. Their needs are difficult to interpret at times and they are constantly changing from day to day. Every phase from infant to school age happens rapidly, which can be encouraging when struggling with a particularly difficult stage. However, it’s mostly a bittersweet thought. While I love the idea of my house being in order and getting time to myself again, I also hate the thought of my house being empty and sitting in deafening silence. So in both the difficult moments and sweet moments I try to remind myself that “this too shall pass,” so embrace it and soak it up while I still can.
In every challenge I try to also see the blessing, reminding myself that while the difficulties will pass so will those precious moments. It doesn’t make the phase any less challenging but it does help me not to take any of it for granted.
The exhaustion will pass, but the sound of sweet pitter patters in the early morning will also pass.
The messy chaotic home will pass, but the sight of my kids playing together will also pass.
The pain of stepping on legos and blocks in the dark will pass, but their joy for little kid toys will also pass.
The fighting sleep will pass, but the sweet bedtime moments will also pass.
The never ending laundry will pass, but the small adorable clothes will also pass.
The getting soaked at bath time will pass, but the sweet bath time moments will also pass.
The annoying difficult car seat buckles will pass, but the sight of happy kicking feet in a car seat will also pass.
The long drawn out bedtime routines will pass, but that long drawn out quality time will also pass.
The never ending meals will pass, but the daily time together at meals will also pass.
The separation anxiety will pass, but the always wanting to be with us will also pass.
The daily overflowing dishes will pass, but the adorable kids cups and plates will also pass.
The constant wanting to be held will pass, but the ability to hold them will also pass.
The triggered tantrums will pass, but the spontaneous sweetness will also pass.
The only wanting mommy or daddy will pass, but being the center of their world will also pass.
I realize that not all of these things will fully pass, but they will all change significantly as our kids grow up. I don’t dread their growing up, in fact I am excited to see the kind of people God calls them to be. But I also don’t want to wish away these little years. Every phase is both taxing and beautiful, so my prayer is to embrace the blessings that coincide with the challenges, reminding myself that there is a time for everything and this too will pass.
“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.”
- Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, 10-11
