I officially became an empty nester last weekend when our youngest daughter got married, and I’m finding it much more difficult than I had anticipated. I feel as if I’ve been dropped in the middle of an island far away; a place where I don’t speak the language and don’t know the culture. An eerie quietness has settled over the house, and I find myself feeling empty and lost at times. Being a mother to four children over the past thirty-two years was my life. It was what took up most of my time and was the only lifestyle I’d known for over three decades.
I find myself wishing this summer could be like previous summers when days spent with my daughter seemed so carefree! Days when we would jump in the car and go to the store together, laugh about everyday things, and look at the fall dance catalog deciding what new dance apparel to order for the upcoming dance year. Now all that seems to lie ahead is loneliness and an empty calender. I find myself praying daily for God’s direction. I keep asking, “What now, Lord?”
As always, God’s perfect word spoke to my heart at just the right time. I was reading scripture this morning and came to this verse about Anna the prophetess:
Anna, a prophet, was also there in the Temple. She was the daughter of Phanuel from the tribe of Asher, and she was very old. Her husband died when they had been married only seven years. Then she lived as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple but stayed there day and night, worshiping God with fasting and prayer. Luke 2: 36-37
Here was a woman who had been a widow for a very long time. She didn’t allow the circumstances of her life to get her down. She gave her life over to serving God day and night. What a beautiful example for all of us women regardless of the season of life we find ourselves in! We need to praise and worship God, accepting each new season with a heart dedicated to Him. Our life isn’t over just because the last child leaves home or we find ourselves alone. God still has a plan and a purpose for our life. Like Anna, we too can worship God day and night by devoting our lives to His service and joyfully accepting the calling He has for us in every new season.
I pray as I embark on this new season of life that I will have a heart like Anna. A heart fully devoted to worshiping and serving the God I love; the God who sustained me through thirty-two years of motherhood; the God who was there with me as I held each new baby for the first time; the same God who gave me courage to face each sleepless night; the God who sustained my strength through each challenging day while raising toddlers and teenagers; the God who never once failed to provide the strength I needed to carry on.
I find myself wishing this summer could be like previous summers when days spent with my daughter seemed so carefree! Days when we would jump in the car and go to the store together, laugh about everyday things, and look at the fall dance catalog deciding what new dance apparel to order for the upcoming dance year. Now all that seems to lie ahead is loneliness and an empty calender. I find myself praying daily for God’s direction. I keep asking, “What now, Lord?”
As always, God’s perfect word spoke to my heart at just the right time. I was reading scripture this morning and came to this verse about Anna the prophetess:
Anna, a prophet, was also there in the Temple. She was the daughter of Phanuel from the tribe of Asher, and she was very old. Her husband died when they had been married only seven years. Then she lived as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple but stayed there day and night, worshiping God with fasting and prayer. Luke 2: 36-37
Here was a woman who had been a widow for a very long time. She didn’t allow the circumstances of her life to get her down. She gave her life over to serving God day and night. What a beautiful example for all of us women regardless of the season of life we find ourselves in! We need to praise and worship God, accepting each new season with a heart dedicated to Him. Our life isn’t over just because the last child leaves home or we find ourselves alone. God still has a plan and a purpose for our life. Like Anna, we too can worship God day and night by devoting our lives to His service and joyfully accepting the calling He has for us in every new season.
I pray as I embark on this new season of life that I will have a heart like Anna. A heart fully devoted to worshiping and serving the God I love; the God who sustained me through thirty-two years of motherhood; the God who was there with me as I held each new baby for the first time; the same God who gave me courage to face each sleepless night; the God who sustained my strength through each challenging day while raising toddlers and teenagers; the God who never once failed to provide the strength I needed to carry on.
That same God is right here by my side in the empty nest. I need not fear; for just as He watched over me as a young new mother filled with fears and insecurities over three decades ago, He is watching over me now as a much older woman with new fears and insecurities, as I begin yet another new journey in life. Life is ever changing, but God is never changing! What a blessing it is to know He is by our side in all seasons!
