Picture This: Needs in Seasons of Transition
Have you seen any of these three Back-to-School pictures populate your social media feed lately?
The Teacher’s-Back-In-Service pic,
the I’m-Getting-My-Classroom-Ready-For-You pic
and, of course, the First-Day-of-Classes pic
I’ll admit, I took and posted them myself… But as I scrolled through all the smiles online the Saturday after the first week of school and then compared them to my own, two thoughts struck me.
In the first picture I shared, I was arriving for teacher in-service. Tired but hopeful, I was looking forward to reconnecting with my colleagues. The second selfie I snapped and sent when a friend asked how I was doing. Although late in the day, I was still working hard at school hoping to have everything together for my students. She replied with encouragement. After a final 16-hour day, the help of my sweet cousin, and the provision of some classroom donations from wonderful friends (thank you!), my classroom was ready for Day One with students.
The third picture uploaded was the first day of classes, and a teacher friend asked to take a photo with me. There is no picture of me I can show after that of the rest of the week. If I had one, I’d be smiling but probably look a bit tired. I know my students were wiped by Friday too!
Two things stand out as I reflect on the past few days: 1) the need for Rest and 2) the importance of Friends in seasons of transition. I was tired even before starting back. My students were just as ready for the weekend break to recoup. And my own three children were equally exhausted with all the changes.
I am grateful that in this chaotic season of my life I had friends who connected with and supported me. I pray my own kids felt support, too, in this transition, and over this year, I’ll continue to pray for a network or even just that one friend who can make a difference in both theirs and my students’ lives.
Life is never constant. Rather, like oceans, it is full of ebbs and flows, and in seasons of chaos, storms shake us up and often demand a time of recovery. I used to fight against the inconsistencies, try to wrangle life under my control and then get so frustrated that life wouldn’t work out my way. I’d be angry when school demanded more of me or when I couldn’t get to my own writing because my kids needed me. Now I rest knowing there are calm seasons around the corner.
AND, there’s One who offers peace even in the midst of storms. Wishing you rest, hope, and peace even in the busiest of seasons!
