Summer's officially winding down and, much of the country starts the transition between long, lazy days of summer and juggling the chaos of deadlines, frantic schedules, and extracurricular activities.
For me, I will jump into my 24th year in the classroom.
24 years of slow, sluggish days of recovery from the previous school year to the mach-3 craziness of a typical school day: a frazillion questions—some of which actually have something to do with the subject—as well as a litany of excuses, accommodation requests, apathy, and a cacophony of laughter directed at me because of something stupid I inadvertently or did.
Of course, it also comes meaningful and insightful classroom discussions, fond memories, and watching a light bulb come as a connection is made between the head and the heart.
I pray for many more school years to come.
Typically on the first day of school, the most frequent prompt that comes up is: what I did last summer.
This prompt produces a variety of responses, ranging from vacations, camping trips, swimming, tubing, fishing, and the county fair.
I’ve been thinking about this question a lot lately as well as what would be my answer.
All things considered, I had an eventful summer.
I embarked on another road trip, a budding impromptu tradition that takes me along American’s backroads exploring places I have never seen before. These annual road trips have become therapeutic for me.
The weekend after I returned, I went to my 40th High School Reunion, reliving old memories and seeing classmates I honestly thought I would have never seen again.
Next, my wife and I spent our 28th Anniversary exploring the old territorial capitol of Montana, Virginia City.
However, despite all of that activity, if I had to honestly define my summer, I would describe it as a time to heal.
This last spring, I lost my mother the same week my wife lost her job. It was a world turned upside-down.
In addition to the typical annual stress of teaching during a second semester, I had to be an emotional strength and encourager for my wife as we grieved the loss of my mother. We had to juggle a household that, for a time, dealt with a 60% income drop, a loss of insurance, and an uncertain future.
Now, I will emphatically state that God came through for us during that ordeal. He absolutely did.
However, those months also took a great toll on my being. I didn’t feel like myself at home or at work. My filters were down. My emotions were raw, shriveled and depleted. I was subdued and weak. I just wanted to crawl under a rock.
But the summer brought a time of restoration of heavy solitude. It brought with wonderful experiences alone, with my wife, and with God.
The teacher in Ecclesiastes writes of seasons in life:
“A time to be born and a time to die,
A time to plant and a time to uproot, A time to kill and a time to heal,
A time to tear down and a time to build, A time to weep and a time to laugh,
A time to mourn and a time to dance, A time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
A time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, A time to search and a time to give up,
A time to keep and a time to throw away, A time to tear and a time to mend,
A time to be silent and a time to speak, A time to love and a time to hate,
A time for war and a time for peace.” (Ecclesiastes 3:2–8)
Life is filled with seasons. As much as we try, they are unavoidable. Frankly, it is easy to cling to God when life is wonderful; however, true spiritual growth comes when life isn't peachy.
We always enjoy mountain top experience; however, it is also important to remember that nothing grows on a mountain top. The rich, fertile soil lies in the valley.
It often seems superficial that use suffering to test us or to teach us a lesson. More often, he quietly sits with us in difficult seasons for us to cling to.
So what is the answer to that question asked in nearly every classroom in America? I healed.
My summer was a time for restoration, a time for healing.
In a matter of days, the school year kicks off and a new season begins.
And with the new year, when the next season arrives, my grip on God—with prayer and knowledge he is with me—remains tighter than ever.
Summer's officially winding down and, much of the country starts the transition between long, lazy days of summer and juggling the chaos of deadlines, frantic schedules, and extracurricular activities.
For me, I will jump into my 24th year in the classroom.
24 years of slow, sluggish days of recovery from the previous school year to the mach-3 craziness of a typical school day: a frazillion questions—some of which actually have something to do with the subject—as well as a litany of excuses, accommodation requests, apathy, and a cacophony of laughter directed at me because of something stupid I inadvertently or did.
Of course, it also comes meaningful and insightful classroom discussions, fond memories, and watching a light bulb come as a connection is made between the head and the heart.
I pray for many more school years to come.
Typically on the first day of school, the most frequent prompt that comes up is: what I did last summer.
This prompt produces a variety of responses, ranging from vacations, camping trips, swimming, tubing, fishing, and the county fair.
I’ve been thinking about this question a lot lately as well as what would be my answer.
All things considered, I had an eventful summer.
I embarked on another road trip, a budding impromptu tradition that takes me along American’s backroads exploring places I have never seen before. These annual road trips have become therapeutic for me.
The weekend after I returned, I went to my 40th High School Reunion, reliving old memories and seeing classmates I honestly thought I would have never seen again.
Next, my wife and I spent our 28th Anniversary exploring the old territorial capitol of Montana, Virginia City.
However, despite all of that activity, if I had to honestly define my summer, I would describe it as a time to heal.
This last spring, I lost my mother the same week my wife lost her job. It was a world turned upside-down.
In addition to the typical annual stress of teaching during a second semester, I had to be an emotional strength and encourager for my wife as we grieved the loss of my mother. We had to juggle a household that, for a time, dealt with a 60% income drop, a loss of insurance, and an uncertain future.
Now, I will emphatically state that God came through for us during that ordeal. He absolutely did.
However, those months also took a great toll on my being. I didn’t feel like myself at home or at work. My filters were down. My emotions were raw, shriveled and depleted. I was subdued and weak. I just wanted to crawl under a rock.
But the summer brought a time of restoration of heavy solitude. It brought with wonderful experiences alone, with my wife, and with God.
The teacher in Ecclesiastes writes of seasons in life:
“A time to be born and a time to die,
A time to plant and a time to uproot, A time to kill and a time to heal,
A time to tear down and a time to build, A time to weep and a time to laugh,
A time to mourn and a time to dance, A time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
A time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, A time to search and a time to give up,
A time to keep and a time to throw away, A time to tear and a time to mend,
A time to be silent and a time to speak, A time to love and a time to hate,
A time for war and a time for peace.” (Ecclesiastes 3:2–8)
Life is filled with seasons. As much as we try, they are unavoidable. Frankly, it is easy to cling to God when life is wonderful; however, true spiritual growth comes when life isn't peachy.
We always enjoy mountain top experience; however, it is also important to remember that nothing grows on a mountain top. The rich, fertile soil lies in the valley.
It often seems superficial that use suffering to test us or to teach us a lesson. More often, he quietly sits with us in difficult seasons for us to cling to.
So what is the answer to that question asked in nearly every classroom in America? I healed.
My summer was a time for restoration, a time for healing.
In a matter of days, the school year kicks off and a new season begins.
And with the new year, when the next season arrives, my grip on God—with prayer and knowledge he is with me—remains tighter than ever.
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