Author: Melanie Grainger (FG Kids Director)
Time has been on my mind lately. More specifically, the limited time I have left has been on my mind. My son graduates from middle school this month and will enter his freshman year of high school in the fall. My mama’s heart has been feeling the pressure of the limited time I have left before he leaves the nest. But what I am really struggling with is change. Time brings along change. Sometimes, change for the better, and sometimes, change that is different, a different that requires you to adjust, to pivot, to change your response. Change that is different can be difficult to embrace because it means we have to let go and, at times, grieve what was. I find myself in this bittersweet season of change that time brings, reminiscing on what was but also anticipating what is to come.
We will mark this time of our son graduating middle school by celebrating throughout the summer. We have some fun things planned and have dedicated time where we, as a family, will spend quality time together.
Because I know time is precious.
Time is precious because relationships are precious. I love what Ruth and Troy Simons say in their book Foundations: 12 Biblical Truths to Shape a Family. They say: “Things that matter require a sacrifice of time.” Relationships matter, our marriage matters, parenting matters and our relationship with God matters. If we agree that time is precious because relationships are precious, then let us make a conscious decision and intentional effort in our relationships. Let us stop saying we have no time and make a sacrifice of our time for what truly matters. Let us seek God to help us embrace change, to help us shift how we parent, relate to others, and spend time with God and with those in our circle of influence.
“Things that matter require a sacrifice of time.” -Ruth and Troy Simons
My son is entering his high school phase, and my husband and I will have to adjust how we parent. We still have time. We still have a choice to be present and intentional. We will celebrate the time that has passed, grieve, and ask God to help us let go of what was, but we will also anticipate, learn, and prepare for what’s next. A resource that has helped us as our son moved from phase to phase is the Phase Profile Summary Cards, which are available for free at the Family Resource Centers located throughout our FG campus. These cards help guide us as parents to how our child is developing physically, socially, mentally, and emotionally and how as parents, we can spend our time engaging with them in an intentional way. I encourage you to pick one up on Sunday.
May I leave you with one other thought? We all live in the existence of time. It is written on the wrinkles of our smiles, we celebrate it on the ever-growing blanket of candles that cover our birthday cakes, and we see it on the growing features of our children that we were once strong enough to carry in our arms—time brought along these changes. And through all these changes, we have a God who never changes. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. This God loves you, is for you, and is with you through all of time and through all of the changes you will experience.
This is my comforting thought. May it bring you comfort as well.
*We are a church located in Greenville, South Carolina. Our vision is to see God transform us into a community of grace passionately pursuing life and mission with Jesus.*
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Written by Melanie Grainger
Melanie grew up in Aiken, SC, and attended Columbia College, where she received her Psychology degree. She married her high school friend, David, in 2007. Together, they have a son, Landon, two fur babies, and a small brood of chickens.