A Tale of Two Seniors
By: Sarah Hogue, Director of Children’s Ministry and Member Formation
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.
That is how my mama heart feels as I sit sandwiched between two graduations. My oldest son graduated from college last week. My youngest will soon receive his high school diploma. The excitement I feel for both of them is palpable, but the changes that are coming make me emotional. (I know…shocker!)
As long as I can remember, I wanted to be a mom. It has always been my greatest calling in life. Now, things are changing. Roles are shifting. It is as it should be, but my new normal will be very different from the last 22 years. My oldest son will be moving home and beginning a local job teaching Bible at Eden Christian Academy, which I am so thankful for. However, he comes home as an adult. My role in his life has changed. He is following his calling to impact students in the same place where his life was impacted so significantly. I will see him daily, but as his professional life takes off, he will be living a new chapter, and I will be a less significant player.
My youngest will be heading off to Grove City College at the end of summer. He is in the sweet spot of enjoying every moment he has left of highschool, but he is excited for what his future holds. He will be following his calling to be a middle school teacher. My role in his life is changing in a more significant way - a way that I remember all too well from 4 years ago. His room will be empty, and I won't get to see him every day. He will begin to live a life that I will not be a part of on a daily basis.
To the moms who are chasing toddlers or going to endless soccer games…I know you don’t want to hear it, because I didn’t, but it really does go fast. It is true that the days are long, but the years are short. I remember those days that felt so long, and now I feel like I blinked, and here we are. My mama’s heart is not ready, even as seeing my children on the precipice of a new chapter is exhilarating. To see them becoming the person God has designed them to be is inspiring, and that makes all the role shifting and somewhat heart-wrenching changes completely worth it. I have known from the beginning that I was giving them roots to help them fly. My goal has never been to keep them with me, but that doesn’t mean the changes that come with them growing up don’t sting.
I’ve always felt that working with the children of our church is an extension of God’s calling to be a mom. I love each child and the opportunity to invest in their faith. I suppose that’s why I get so emotional when each of them grows up so quickly and moves from the children’s ministry into the student ministry. Every season of life brings its joys and challenges, and I am learning how to focus on God’s bigger picture, even as I feel the emotions of big changes.