Here We Go Again...

"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." (James 1:5)

Good morning, dear friends,

Photo: wokandapix pixabay

For those of you who were wondering where my blog posts were this month, it was because I was too busy enjoying life to write about it, and because I slept in!  By the time I was up the kids were up, and there was no point trying to write a coherent thought.

Like many of you, summertime has been wonderful!  I have loved the pressure-free, pyjama days, relaxing with my family, free from most routines, and the intense schedule driven days.

As much as it pains me to write this, I know it's coming, just around the corner, and I can't ignore it anymore...

Things are speeding up.  I feel the pace starting to accelerate, and my heart with it.  The lazy days of summer are winding down, and the school year approaches...far too quickly.

There are school supplies that need to be bought.

There are clothes to sort, mend, donate and some holey, stained-beyond-recognition socks that need to be thrown away.

There are back-to-school attitudes that need to be motivated....yes, even mine.  I don't wanna...

It's hard to get back going after the summer....

I have always been a teacher and loved it.  When I graduated from college in the US, I taught French.  When I got married, there were always Sunday school classes to teach.  Then, arriving here in France, there were clubs, camps, and most importantly, my own children that God has allowed me to lead along.  Then, a few years ago, the Lord opened the door here in France to be able to use English lessons to serve Him here.  I love the challenge of trying to make hard things simple to understand, or teach something new, or share some geeky, totally unnecessary random trivia fact with my children!

But this year, for some reason, I'm just not feeling it.

Maybe it's because my children are growing...way too quickly.  With each September I realize that a new chapter is being written in their lives, and they are one step closer to leaving.

Maybe it's the challenge of facing the routines and schedules, and the accelerated pace of life.  Just thinking about school, homework, lessons, and activities, even good ones, is enough to make me tired already.

Maybe it's my own realization that my life is getting shorter as well, and there is still so much to be done...

As much as it is difficult for me to face "back to school" this year, I am thankful that God's school is always in session.  As I have been reading these past few weeks in the book of Proverbs with my oldest son Timothy, I am reminded that God's wisdom is always available, for every new season of my life.  Proverbs chapter 8 reminds me that God's wisdom is ever present, since the beginning of the world:

"The Lord possessed me (wisdom) from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was...Then I was by him, as one brought up with him: and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him...Now therefore hearken unto me, O ye children: for blessed are they that keep my ways." (Proverbs 8:22,30,32)

I am reminded in James that God's wisdom is freely available to me.  All I have to do is ask:  "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." (James 1:5)

If ever there is a time for wisdom, it's now.  While the fresh start for the school year is upon me, may God help me to remember to rely solely on Him for the answers to my doubts, my struggles, my strength.  May I not seek my own solutions for life's problems, but to find my help from the Lord and His Word.

Here's to all the back-to-school moms out there, overwhelmed at the beginning of the school year.  May we also learn the lessons that God wants us to learn in His school this year.