At the beginning of summer we knew we would be busy. We had 4 scheduled trips for our family to embark upon: a working week at a camp in Tennessee, a family reunion in New York, a family reunion in Michigan, and a beach trip to Amelia Island, Florida. Little did we know that within those weeks we would also have our church, that my husband planted 6 months ago assume another church in our area that was closing its doors and that we would attend a funeral for my husband’s grandmother.
Our summer of crazy and busy just turned into a summer of almost unmanageable. We would drive 13 hours for a trip to have my husband fly out of that airport 24 hours later to go back to church to do what he had to do. Then he’d fly back into town 24 hours later for us to drive the 13 hours back home at 6 am the next morning. Not even an hour after his grandmother’s service for her funeral, he flew home to be there for church. That time I decided to stay on with his family with the littles for the week and had a much needed respite.
I remember my sweet husband turning to me as we drove back from Michigan asking me if our life would always be so crazy. “Was this the new normal?” I couldn’t imagine that.
Today as I sat on the beach, watching my littles love the water, my husband relax in a chair to the tune of the ocean waves, and my family that I love so dearly around me, I realized that this is a season of life. I know Ecclesiastes 3 tells me that “there is a time for everything and a season for every activity.” To this I have to hold firm to. Things will change and we’ll find ourselves in either a new season or back to where we were. I won’t feel overwhelmed, broken, lost, and wanting. Hopefully by the end of this season I will embrace the conviction I’ve had this summer that I need full reliance on Him, the one who created me, the one who knows these are fine details, not the big picture – on God. Maybe we’ve had the chaos this season to remind me I cannot do it without Him. I need HIm. I need to get back to my reliance on Him.
I’m going to embrace this season and learn all I can from it. I know as I sit on the beach these last days that summer is coming to a close and soon it will be a new season. I will embrace it. I will turn to Him. And I will learn. Learn from it, more about me, more about Him, and more about my need for someone I can depend on.
mommyneedscoffee.wordpress.com 
I’m glad you posted this today– I need that reminder of relying fully on Him. It’s been an interesting past few days for us. We need to hang out soon!
Gosh, I understand those crazy season. The past 6 years has been crazy for us…but God has been present through it all.
thanks for this michelle! i was a bit sad the other day when i came here and there were no new postings. i love your heart. i was going to comment on your last post that i just love hearing whatever is on your heart at the time. so glad we are blogging buddies 🙂
beautifully written
Does it help to know there are others in the same season with you? I’m new to your blog, but my husband is a youth pastor while I stay at home with our three. Summer is always insane, and somehow the unexpected gets piled on top of that! Two years in a row, when we lived out of state, one of our grandmothers died during the week of VBS. What!? It is important to remember that this is only a season and to soak up everything we can while we’re here.
Thanks for this!
Anna
wow…your summer sounds insane! but i admire your ability to turn to scriptures and trust in God.