Tuesday, September 22, 2020

Sabbatical

sab·bat·i·cal
/səˈbadək(ə)l/
noun
1. a period of paid leave granted to a university teacher or other worker for study or travel, traditionally one year for every seven years worked.
"she's away on sabbatical"

Within the last seven years of being married and having different seasons of life including having our first son and to the current season of having our second son, I feel like each season is somewhat of a sabbatical from one thing to another. What I mean by that is, as I reflect on my life, there are times I look back to and wonder if I'll ever return to doing some of the things I have done in the past or if that was something I did in that season of life. Is it a permanent change or something I'll return to. A dear woman I know recently posted her reflection about the always-changing seasons of life. Her words really hit me. 

"There are seasons where visions are birthed. There are seasons where visions die. And there are seasons when visions regrow with such vibrant bloom they take our breath away. Sometimes the best thing our dreams can do is fade into distant memory, until we can let go of what we wanted to be, and embrace with open arms the full expression of what they were destined to become."

There are a lot of my visions that have either blossomed or faded in some way or another. For example, with this blog, I thought it would be something I would regularly post on. I used to use Facebook regularly to show the world my awesomeness or something like that. Oh yeah, and one time I had a smartphone that could post on Instagram like it was my day job. Recently one of my friends told me that she was considering buying a new phone until God told her, "Kari doesn't have a new phone. She has an old, crappy phone and doesn't spend as much money." Thanks, Susan...and God. 😉 I didn't think I would ever play my violin on a worship team after graduating high school and now I wonder if and when I will return. I also didn't know that I would someday have my oldest son sleeping in my sister's old bedroom and my youngest in my old bedroom. Oh yeah, and there was that one time I really thought I would never get married and just become a base jumper or something ridiculous. I never thought that I would want to stay home, take naps, and go to bed early. No, scratch that actually, I've always loved naps, since I was able to choose to take them. I am so glad that my family is the most important to me and that I would choose to be with them over anyone or anything; on most days.

I love how God knew. 

As I contemplate the past, present and future, I'm encouraged by His hand to provide all that I need and guide me into and out of different seasons of life.

I like using this blog as a way for me to share my thoughts and I use it for myself. And if anyone cares or is positively impacted or encouraged by it, great. I like that I don't use it regularly, but rather come to it very inconsistently to document just a blurb of the season of life I am currently in.

And with that, I want to document a moment my oldest son and I had the other day.

As I stared into Jonson's beautiful blue eyes, he said with so much excitement, "I can see myself in the little blacks of your eyes!"

"I can see myself in the little blacks of your eyes too!" I replied, trying to reflect his excitement with my statement.

And then I paused for a moment. Jonson is a delightfully busy boy and this moment was special. As I thought about his statement, God used it a great reminder. We reflect what we are looking at. In that special moment, I was reminded to fix my eyes on Jesus in all seasons of life. I want to reflect Jesus in my life. Thankful for those reminders.

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