This is a phase

As the mom of a teenager, there were many a days I wanted to tear my hair out, to throw in the towel, to leave the country, planet and never return.

I’ve had instances where I would wonder how long I would have to deal with this boy child of mine who was struggling to find himself.

Earlier today, the town I lived in experienced a sudden thunderstorm. The sun in an instant had disappeared; the winds began howling; trees began making obeisance to the earth. It felt as though all the water was being released from the heavens in an attempt to cause a flash flood. Even the lights in my home began flickering on and off. The entire place felt eerie.

When the storm ceased, I went outside to see if any damage had occurred and happened to meet upon the neighbor who lived on the right side of my house, Dean.

We both stood looking across the street and saw where my neighbor’s tree had lost many of its limbs. Apparently the wind had caused the tree in front of Donna’s home to decide today was the day to get rid of unnecessary baggage.🤪

Usually, Donna is home with her car parked in her driveway. Thankfully today, she was away and so her car was spared damage. If you look a bit closer at the pictures, you will see where the limbs fell just a few feet shy of her home. Any closer and she would have been dealing with structural damage.

The Lord spared her life, her car and her home.

Dean and I discussed what transpired on Donna’s property, and how thankful we were that further damage did not occur.

He went into immediate action mode. He made plans to get his chainsaw so that he could remove the debris before Donna returned home. He shared that she was a single mom whose son was away at Georgia Tech and so she would have no help to remove the fallen limbs and branches.

Talk about neighborly love. (I interject here to say that my neighbor who had the mishap is a single, African American woman. Dean is a Caucasian male, and also happens to be a police officer. Racism exists, but not everywhere. While we despise the injustice and the hatred caused by sin, let us celebrate the love and compassion we see exemplified by others).

Upon returning inside my home to head back to work, I began sharing with my mom the conversation I had with Dean. My son walked in the room, overheard our conversation and said nothing.

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness…Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.” James 1: 2-3, 12

At the end of my work shift, as I made my way past the front door heading towards the kitchen, (my home office is in the basement), I saw my son’s bed slippers positioned at the front door. Immediately my mind went into questioning mode. Where was Zach? Why was he outside during “corona time?” And more specifically, why had he left the house without a word?

I noticed the front door was unlocked and so opened the door to see if he could be located. My eyes immediately found themselves looking across the road and lo and behold, there was my son helping Dean remove the fallen limbs.

To say I was shocked, was an understatement.

I felt a surge of delight and pride flooding the very cores of my soul.

I found myself praising Abba for the gift of His child who took the initiative to leave the comforts of his room in order to go outside and help someone else.

The Lord reminded me of something my adopted mom shared with me during the early teenage years of Zach when he would drive me constantly up the wall.

“Dee, this is a phase.”

Time after time she would assure me that Zach was going through a phase and he would come out of it a responsible and mature man. Today, I saw a glimpse of this.

As parents, we never know what our children will be once they have left the childhood and teenage phase. We seldom get glimpses of their character development until years down the road. Many times, we feel to throw in the towel and walk away. Countless times, we may want to give in and to certainly give up.

Hang in there.

Like the storm that came, caused mayhem and left evidence of its presence; it eventually left.

Storms do not last forever, and neither does trouble, pain, problems, suffering etc – they are just phases.

“…Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” Psalms 30:5

Donna was able to park in her driveway and not worry about any debris.

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28

Can you recall a torrential season in your life where you stuck through it, survived and today can celebrate the fact that you endured?

PS: The sun did return after being hidden behind the clouds. In fact, the sun had never left, the clouds just obstructed its view 🤗

#thoughtfulthursday