It is THAT time of year again. It is that time of year that teachers and students are d.o.n.e, DONE. It is that time of year again that we read the OMG, hilarious “Worst End of Year Parent Ever” blog by Jen Hatmaker and some yell a resounding “YES SISTER!” It is the time of year where the days get sunnier and warmer and prettier and lots of parents, especially moms, are done with the homework helping, lunch packing, and the school function attending rig-a-maroll that comes with the school year. We are ready for summer! BRING IT ON!
BUT (yeah, if you know me, you knew there was a “but” comin’)…here’s the thing…I know the “I’m over it” feeling. I totally understand that after being cooped up in a house for a few months because the weather outside is frightful, we just want to go outside and run and play. I understand being brain drained. I understand spring fever. I understand senioritis. I’ve been there. Heck, I is there… But I also understand the importance of endurance and finishing.
WHAT??? Come on you crazy blogging, kill joy lady! Endurance and Finishing???
Yep, endurance and finishing.
These two things are so important that Paul talks about the in the Bible, MULTIPLE times. Paul??? Yep…Paul…that dude that heard from God a ton, and wrote it down, and it makes up most of our New Testament…that Paul.
Fight the good fight 1 Timothy 6:12
Fight the battle well 1 Timothy 1:18
Finish the race Acts 20:24
Run to WIN! 1 Corinthians 9:24
Yeah, I know Paul is talking about life, the good fight, the ultimate race and not about finishing the school year. But…(there’s always a but!)
But here’s my question…
If I can’t finish the school year well and I can’t teach my kids how to finish the school year strong then how in the world can I teach myself and my kids how to run the race of life and finish it strong…finish it well.
OUCH!
If I want to finish things well…well..then I have to FINISH THINGS and CHOOSE to finish them well. If I want my kids to learn how to finish well…well…then I better teach them how, because the world sure ain’t teaching them this skill.
So here’s my challenge to all my burnt out friends (and I be talkin’ to me too). To all those in blog-land who want to pull up a chair and have a glass of wine with Jen Hatmaker (who wouldn’t) and discuss the woes of the sucky end of school season. (An aside, I do LOVE Hatmaker’s blogs and books. She is so so so good lots of the time…she knows she ain’t perfect, just like I know I ain’t perfect….we’re just not on the same wave length on this one…and that’s OK!)
The challenge is….FINISH WELL! Buck up campers! It doesn’t matter if we want school to end or not…it’s only a matter of time before it does. We can’t control how fast or slow the days move. We can’t control what day it is on the calendar. We can’t control lot of things (and that’s a whole ‘notha blog)…
BUT (there’s that but again)
We can control how we live out the next few weeks. We can control what we show our kids. We can control our actions and our words and our attitudes. (Yeah, the attitude one is hard for me too).
Let’s teach these rascals the good Lord entrusted to us how to not just hang on by a thread and endure the pain of a season we don’t like. Let’s teach these rascals how to RUN, how to THRIVE, how to FINISH STRONG. Let’s model to our kids what God has called us to do.
We might be suckin’ wind at the end…
But dang if it won’t be a ridiculous, glorious feeling to go pounding over that finish line running like Phoebe from Friends, with a big ol’ goofy, proud smile on our faces. (And imagine the grins from those rascals…melt your momma heart)
FINISH STRONG!
A Beautiful Mess 