“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
- Romans 8: 38-39
Letting Go: When visiting an elderly loved one, especially closer in age to a century than zero, you linger at each goodbye. My eldest son gently hugged his great-grandmother shoulders, my middle son squeezed her legs with all his two year old might and my youngest daughter stroked her wrinkled cheek. I carefully wrapped my arms around her hunched shoulders praying silently, “see you soon, in Knoxville, Tennessee or in heaven, God be near to you now and always.”
Letting Grow: Our eldest and first born son shall venture into big boy school, kindergarten starting August first. Gone the days of September starting the school year. A change of season from littles at home into kids leaving to learn resulting in us shifting our schedules earlier. Seeking a secure education, we sacrifice our time by traveling further to a charter school with classical teaching and classic uniforms.
In seasons of letting go and letting grow, I cling to the symbol tattooed on my upper right bicep: “VIII.” Romans chapter eight defines our Father in Heaven as “Ebenezer” or “stone of help.” A title of God sung in my absolute favorite hymn Come thou Font (the song I walked down the aisle to at my wedding and the tune I desire to be sung at my funeral; the lyrics my young sons memorized all three verses):
“Here I raise my Ebenezer
Here by Thy great help I've come
And I hope by Thy good pleasure
Safely to arrive at home”
Unchanging and unaffected by temperature and time, only God remains steadfast. So seeking security for this side of heaven and into eternity means only clinging to the Almighty. Everyone and everything else changes; thus loosely held.
Letting Go: The certainty of death and taxes makes surrender necessary. So cherish the small moments- a sincere hug, really seeing faces of loved ones, and breathing in the smell of their clothes. The elderly serve as a living memento
mori- a reminder of the borrowed time of mortality. This allows more joy to find in the present and patience in the stresses, knowing how brief and fleeing experiences are. Also with hope that true rest, peace and community reside in our real home, heaven.
Letting Grow: From the womb wandering into the world, children, literal gifts from God, made to cultivate and let grow. So when the reality sets in that parents cannot control their children, then an attitude of guidance and coaching. Providing the best environment for flourishing including healthy food, good rest, functional skills (from washing laundry to athletics) and intentional education, the true calling of parenthood. So we roll up our sleeves and till the soil of these precious little souls.
So may you stay stable surrendered and tethered to God, the Ebenezer, as the seasons shift to let go and let grow.
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