As you know, my daughter is 16, soon to be 17. She is smart, loves to laugh, pretty, and naturally athletic. And she is also completely self absorbed. But, you know what? When I was 16, soon to be 17, so was I. My cousin once told my mother, “there is nothing as self absorbed as a teenage girl.” I tend to agree. I have been considering my own mom lately and how she must have felt during my teenage years. All I can say to her is that I am truly sorry.
Let’s face it, we can look at the juxtaposition of a mom and a teenage girl and see that God truly does have a sense of humor. Look at hormones alone. A teenage girl’s hormones are surging, while a middle-aged woman’s are decreasing. The result is a little bit of crazy crashing into each other. (Oh my, our poor husbands!) And come to think of it, a teenage girl’s body is developing and in it’s prime physically; while a middle aged woman’s body is drooping and each morning brings aches and pains anew.
My daughter is standing at the beginning of her journey and I am realizing that I am most likely halfway through mine. Each day my focus is on her and her focus? Well, it’s on her too! (Ha! At least we have that in common.)
Okay, reality check folks. Comparisons of any kind steal our joy and all of this nonsense really doesn’t matter either. It is merely yet another season of life. And it will pass and most likely pass way too quickly.
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:
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 3:1-8 NIV)
So, I have come to the conclusion that I will lean into God’s Word, enjoy the beauty in the irony of this particluar season and keep moving forward in love! We are about to celebrate Jesus’ birth and we can have as much of His joy, love and grace as we want. It is a free, pure gift from our Father. For every season.
Oh, and I will definitely call my mom in the morning and tell her that I am sorry once again, and giggle with her about my own self absorbed days and tell her I love her, which is a blessing in and of itself.
Be joyful!
Love, Faith and an Angel Dog 