For All Seasons

June 5, 2023

Patty and I just celebrated thirty-four years of marriage. We celebrated alone. Yep. We grilled steaks and had delicious sweet potatoes.

It was just the two of us. That is where we find ourselves again. It’s a new season of life, and that is the way life is. It’s cause for celebration and joy if you have raised children who are launched and living a purposeful life.

We ate and talked and then sat at the table for a while continuing to reminisce with laughter and peace about the past three and almost a half decades. I believe you can only do that if you make sure that you are developing and growing a deep friendship over the years and through the many changes.

Life has certainly changed in this new season for us. The four kids are all gone. The house is quiet now. It is just the two of us. It’s so good that we still know each other and like each other. I love her deeply, but I also like her so much I would choose her as a friend.

I believe that is why it is so important that first and foremost we make Christ the center of our lives and relationships. It’s easy for that spot to be taken by our kids and their activities. Their sports and hobbies are important and there definitely is a place for them, but it is not the most critical area for your attention. Your kids are eventually going to leave—I know it may seem like it is never coming! LOL. But it will. And if you make your relationship with them the most central thing, you will be strangers with your life partner, and your children will have missed their best opportunity to personally witness a healthy relationship in the seasons of life.

I do miss our kids. The noise, the activity, the full schedule—that was wonderful. But I equally love the season that we are in right now—just me and my bride. These days are rich, rewarding, and satisfying. God has designed all of these seasons for our blessing.

God said He has given marriage as a picture of the relationship He wants with us. He is the groom and we are the bride. He blesses us with good things for our enjoyment—but He never wants those things to take center place in our lives. They are to accentuate our relationship with Him. We can enjoy them and be grateful for them. But we must remember that no thing and no one will be there forever with you except Jesus.

When we live in that way, it builds a solid foundation for all the seasons of life. As life changes and your circumstances shift, Jesus won’t be a stranger. You will enjoy sitting down having conversations with Him about life and your experiences together. You will treasure His faithfulness in the past and look forward to His faithfulness in the future. He’s the love for all seasons.