When I see the Learner’s License magnet on the back of the car this morning as I was walking down the driveway—I am sad. When I see Max the dog walk into Bethany’s room to jump on her bed—as is his habit after Sandra leaves for work—but then he is stopped in his tracks by the sight of her empty bed and he turns and looks at me with the look of “Umm—where’s Bethany?” I am sad. I am so happy for my youngest daughter to jump into the sky and take off on an adventure in New Brunswick at Bible College. I am proud of her for wanting to leave this town and try new things. But what happens to Sandra and I? We are so used to the bustle of four girls in the home and now we are down to none. What blows my mind is that it all happened so fast. I rejoice in Bethany’s life because she is a miracle baby. She was close to death in the her mother’s womb with heart failure. God chose to save her life and she is a healthy and happy and God and People loving young adult with ambition to help the hurting in this world. I am grateful. I am an emotional guy. Anybody who knows me knows this. So when the waves hit me they are thick and heavy. So this morning as I go back to work after some time off and I kiss Sandra goodbye and we both try and get back to normal I am doing so with a lump in my throat. I am grateful that God, you are there right now with her on the other side of the second largest country in the world, and that You are here with me.
I thank you for a good marriage where we still like and love each other. Keep that strong in us and help us to have fun and use some new free time to make a big difference in people’s lives. Help us to have fun dating and give us discipline to use the time we have left well. Help us to invest! Help me to invest in Sandra’s life in new ways that fill the void in her mothering time. May Your Spirit be the love and joy and contentment and purpose to fill her life. Make her a light for You.
I need Your help to do a job pastoring a town that I have always cared for within the context of my involvement with the schools that my daughters were students at. So in a way, this empty nest, has a big impact on how I do my job. I suppose I am going to have to reinvent myself somewhat. Although there are many kids in this town that I can still be a dad and a grandpa to. This is really the first time in the last seven whirlwind days that I have been able to really sit and journal my feelings—it is very good to do so. To admit that although I am only going to be fifty that I am probably really feeling my age for the first time. If indeed I only get to do my job full time for another fifteen years it is going to go fast. So let me do it with purpose and give me a vision of how to do it.
Thank You for letting us raise those four wonderful girls! You are so good to us, Lord.
I need Your help to do a job pastoring a town that I have always cared for within the context of my involvement with the schools that my daughters were students at. So in a way, this empty nest, has a big impact on how I do my job. I suppose I am going to have to reinvent myself somewhat. Although there are many kids in this town that I can still be a dad and a grandpa to. This is really the first time in the last seven whirlwind days that I have been able to really sit and journal my feelings—it is very good to do so. To admit that although I am only going to be fifty that I am probably really feeling my age for the first time. If indeed I only get to do my job full time for another fifteen years it is going to go fast. So let me do it with purpose and give me a vision of how to do it.
Thank You for letting us raise those four wonderful girls! You are so good to us, Lord.
AMEN
