Everything for my Ever-Changing Life (and Godliness)

As a teacher, my emotions ebb and flow with my ever-changing schedule.  Actually, the seasonal changes resemble the gravity-defying roller coasters I loved to ride in my youth.  At the beginning of every year, I grieve that my own children are getting so old-they go to high school and middle school this year-and frantically prepare my room and curriculum, reminding myself find time to pray for my students, the most important part. I relish in the enthusiasm of my students in the fall, brace for the winds of change as soon as the holidays are in view, and bolster every ounce of enthusiasm I have to combat the lethargy and moods the spring brings, telling myself we just have to make it to May, then it will be “smooth sailing”.  Soon enough that smooth sailing turns into an intense feeling of loss as students, some I have known since they were 14 “leave the nest” of high school, taking a piece of my heart.  My heart shattered, I keep busy with finals week and year end duties and stumble into summer, both physically and emotionally exhausted. 

Summer is both lonely and rejuvenating as I have time to myself, time with my family, time to process, time to do things I want to do like hike, write, pray more, and spend time with friends.  Soon enough, as I am experiencing right now, summer is almost over; I need to by school supplies for my kids-I put this off until the last possible moment-and get them-and myself-ready for school. 

One of my favorite verses is 2 Peter 1:3.  “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence”.  “ . . . everything we need for life . . . “ I’m sure glad.  I admit I should be more concerned with my own godliness, but I am definitely concerned with life.  My marriage, my parenting, my relationships with family and friends, my interactions with my classes and their ever-varying dynamics.  It’s overwhelming. 

Good thing God is a practical God. Holy and practical.  As Lamentations tells us, “The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease.  For his compassions never fail.  They are new every morning.  Great is your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22-23). He is faithful to us in general as well as specific.  Some instances include:

1.  Times of fear.  From childhood to old age, fear is a real part of life.  Sure, we know we shouldn’t fear, but from a young age we fear the dark, abandonment, bullies, heights, dogs, etc. . . . As we age, we add fear of rejection and failure.  Some fears we can’t even name, generalized anxiety that we can’t quite pinpoint.  God knows.  Like a desert spring, his words are there, reminding us not to fear.  In Deuteronomy God tells the Israelites, “Be strong and courageous.  Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you” (Deuteronomy 31:6).  Psalm 23 acknowledges our deepest fears admitting, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me” (Psalm 23:4). Joshua, Isaiah, Jeremiah and many more instances show us that God is with us in our fear.  And then there is Jesus. The angels acknowledge the shepherds’ fear at his coming. He calms the storm and continually teaches fear of God instead of our physical world.  In Luke, he reminds us, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.  Not as the world gives do I give to you.  Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” (Luke 14:27).
2. Times of pain.  One of my favorite movies is The Princess Bride.  The dry humor led my family and friends to watch it so much I have most of it memorized. Before Wesley, the long lost love of the main character, Buttercup, reveals his identity, he tells her, “Life is pain, highness”.  We have all had painful seasons, some more than others.  This year, on top of the malaise of COVID, our city lost 4 teenagers in two weeks to senseless car crashes. To boot, the staff at my high school recently received emails stating that another of my students died in a summer car crash followed by news of a student who died of a seizure. While we are most definitely promised suffering like Christ’s (2 Timothy 3:12), the saying “Life is pain” is a reality in our everyday lives, sometimes for a season and sometimes longer.  God does not leave us alone in our pain. Psalm 34:18 says that God is especially near to us during times of pain stating, “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit”: Jesus addresses our suffering saying, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace.  In the world you will have tribulation.  But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33): and  Paul encourages us, “And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast” (1 Peter 5:10). 
3. Times of uncertainty. Despite my choice of profession, change is hard for me.  While my job promises change from semester to semester, my church’s unprecedented change in leadership, not to mention the changes occurring in my children’s lives are definitely leaving me with a feeling of mild trepidation. My best friend used to say, “Change is good; it lets you know you’re alive”.  It may be a good sign of God’s work in our lives, but it sure can be uncomfortable.  From concerns for our physical needs to anxiety about the future, God promises his presence and comfort.  Matthew illustrates God’s care for us physically explaining, “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not much more valuable than they?” (6:26); Jeremiah tells the Israelite exiles in Babylon, “ . . . I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place.  For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope . . . I will be found by you . . . and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations . . . and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile” (Jeremiah 29:10-14); and Psalm 139 emphasizes God’s faithfulness regardless of our circumstances saying, “Where shall I go from your spirit?  Or where shall I flee from your presence?  If I ascend to heaven, you are there!  If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me . . . even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light to you” (139:7-12). 

Ezekiel 3 tells us our life will have seasons.  Seasons of peace and rejoicing, seasons of upheaval, and seasons of pain.   In all of these seasons, God is with us, carrying out his perfect plan, and making “everything beautiful in its time” (Ecclesiastes 3:11).  Lord, thank you that I can trust you to provide all I need in the wildly varying seasons of my life.