No doubt there are plenty of kids and teachers who are counting down the days until summer for many reasons. But I want to take a moment to encourage a certain group of those counting down. Because for some students and their parents, this has been a very difficult year. Things were going really well for your child until they started school, and then all of a sudden, they become labeled as a "problem child," a kid with "issues," a "candidate for testing," or even labeled by a color on a stoplight based on their behavior on any given day. And at this point in the year, maybe even for quite some time now, you've been in survival mode, hanging on by a thread, hoping you don't get another phone call from a teacher , or the nurse, or the school office, for 3 more days.
I will never forget those early school days with our firstborn. I actually dreaded picking him up everyday, because I hated seeing the dejected look on his face when our eyes met in the car line. His body language usually told the story of the day. He would get in the car with his shoulders slumped and tell me about it. "Mom, I got on red today - I'm sorry." Some days I could even tell by the look on his teacher's face, or by the pace with which his teachers would walk towards the car to tell me about certain things that took place.
Mine was the kid always asking to go to the bathroom, and to the nurse. He was the one always getting up to sharpen his pencil. He was the "chatty" one, the busy one, the fidgety one, The one who just couldn't seem to sit still, or keep his hands to himself.
Let me tell you friend, we have been there, so let me encourage you. You are not alone. God sees you and hears you and it will get better.
And God provides. And He's gonna provide in a lot of different ways to get you through this. With the Lord's help, you can put this puzzle together, one piece at a time. The puzzle at our house is still far from finished, but I feel like we've at least got the edges done. Now that we are turning a corner from elementary to junior high, it feels as if the boundaries have finally fallen together, and the Lord has hemmed us in, behind and before.
That little kindergartener who just couldn't get it together 7 years ago was described to me just this morning by one of his teachers as a "well put together young man."
The Lord has accomplished this in his life. And he has used so many people and so many blessings to bring us this far. From the elementary teachers who showed so much patience and grace, to the counselors who have helped us in our parenting and our kids with their coping. From the medications that we tried and failed, to the opportunities he's been given to succeed. From the Gifted and Talented Teacher who has provided so many great opportunities for advanced learning, to the science teacher who has boosted his confidence through verbal affirmation. From the Leadership Team teachers who gave him a chance to find ownership and responsibility, to the band instructors that have challenged him to excel in something new. From the great sports seasons we've had, to the miserable ones. From the countless college kids who have poured into our family at Pine Cove, to the countless hours we've spent serving there together.
The Lord has provided.
And like I said, we are far from "put together." But we are starting to see the outline of the picture, and by God's grace, it looks pretty good.
The pieces and God's provision will look different for you and your child than it does for us. But I promise you, when you look to Jesus in all of it, He is going to pull you through. He is a God who specializes in making it all fit together "for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose."
