Back to school...

Did anyone ever tell you that you wouldn't miss school once you were done?
Every August when I see all of the back-to-school sales starting up and smell the new binders and crayons and loose-leaf when I walk through the stores, I have flashbacks to the days of picking out new pencil cases and specific colors of binders and fancy pens and then getting home and arguing with Alicia and Andrew about who actually picked out which color of whatever, I kinda start to miss those days.
Those were the days of coming home, even after soccer practice, and having supper on the table for you, not having to cook your own.
Those were the days of being able to give suggestions for supper whenever a craving came up, but not having to choose what to eat every night.
Those were the days of being able to stay up to all hours of the night because an afternoon nap wouldn't keep you away from anything important.
Those were the days of seeing friends every day and having lunch dates every twenty-four hours.
Those were the days of keeping your mind busy on a daily basis and not feeling it turn to mush...except for two months out of each year.
Those were the days of getting new clothes each fall and not having to pay for them myself.
Those were the days of being able to snack on whatever was in the refrigerator and not having to worry about who was going to restock it.
Those were the days of sleeping in until the bus was sitting in the driveway, and then running out and catching it anyway.
Those were the days of not having to worry about, or even think about, making conversation with adults because they were just around to talk to your parents anyway.
Those were the days of not having to do anything you didn't want to do...unless it was homework, or unless your mom volunteered you for it, or unless...

Sometimes I miss those days...there was so much less responsibility and, it seems, more freedom to do what I wanted.

But I can't think about those days without being extremely glad that I am where I am right now. I may not always enjoy everything about my life where I'm at, but I can look at my life and honestly say that God is working. He is teaching me that life isn't just about me. He is teaching me that I just need to keep going, even when I feel like certain aspects of my life are taking me nowhere. He is teaching me that His timing is best. He is teaching me to trust Him to provide for us, even when a situation looks uncertain. These are things that I could never have learned to the same extent if I'd never been challenged.

So while somedays I miss the coloring and playing of elementary school, the brain teasing of calculus in high school, and the support and community of Bible school, I know that I am where I am right now because God is growing me to be who he wants me to be. And I can live with that. And someday I'll look back at the days when Nathan and I were newly married, pastoring in our first church, still without kids, and I'll miss those days. So why not enjoy them now, and live them to the fullest, before we move on to the next stage of life, and realize we left something very valuable in the past, simply because we failed to notice.