This year is my firstborn’s final year of high school. Gulp! How did we get here?
It is true what they say: The days are long (sometimes!) but (in hindsight) the years are (oh so) short.
Yes, I am feeling a little (okay, more than a little) emotional. It is only the end of January, and there have already been quite a few “lasts”. So, I can’t help but look back over the years at some of the “firsts”.
I remember the smell of his first “proper” pencil case filled with bright and shiny stationery in Grade R, but especially the weight of his little hand in mine on the way to his classroom on his first day of school. His oversized school cap barely hid his shyness as we met his teacher for the very first time. Each year since has brought its own unique set of challenges. But our faith in God, caring teachers and the support of family and friends has sustained us through it all.
Now when I look at my son, I have to tilt my head back and look up to meet his gaze. While he has grown in height, he has also grown in ways that cannot be measured. Time and time again, he has shown tremendous courage and tenacity to reach this milestone year. As parents, we are filled with gratitude to our God and are so proud of our son’s achievements. We could only encourage and support him along the way, for as much as we wanted to, we couldn’t do the hard work for him.
In the early years, my prayers were fierce and protective: Lord, keep him safe on the playground. Help him find a good friend. Watch over him everywhere he goes. Over time, my prayers have shifted to: Lord, remind him of who He is in you. Give him a vision for his life. Give him wisdom to make the right decisions and to do what is pleasing in Your sight. Comfort him when the world breaks his heart.
For we haven’t just been preparing him for his matric exams; we have been walking alongside him raising him with God’s help and to the best of our ability, to become independent and start a new chapter of his life.
It is not lost on me that while I have spent the better part of eighteen years building the walls of his nest, my job is also to make sure he has the wings to confidently leave it to follow his dreams.
Matric brings a unique kind of pressure — the “What’s next?” question that can invade every family dinner. It’s easy to get swept up in the anxiety of university applications and career paths. However, we are choosing to trust God in all of our conversations about his next steps (Proverbs 16:9).
We have had to remind ourselves and our son that his identity isn’t found in a final grade or a degree choice. He is, first and foremost, a child of the King. Whether he heads to a prestigious university or takes a gap year to explore his options, his worth is never in question.
So as we navigate matric this year, we are choosing to:
– Celebrate our son, not just the milestones: We will take a moment to notice his integrity, his humour, or the way he helps his younger sibling, not just his results.
* Give grace (to him and ourselves): This is a high-emotion year for all of us. There will be grumpiness and there will be tears, but we will cover it all in grace.
* Trust the foundation: As parents, we have spent years sowing seeds of faith into our son’s life. Now more than ever, we will need to trust the Lord of the harvest to do what only He can do in the life of our son, His son.
It is because the Lord has been faithful throughout our son’s life even when he was still in the womb and we thought we might lose him, that we can confidently say that we are ready not only for this year but the years to come.
Please help us to keep on publishing news that brings Hope in Jesus:
>> Donate >> Become a Super Subscriber
VISIT OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL: https://www.youtube.com/gatewaynews100
COMMENTING GUIDELINES
You are welcome to engage with our articles by making comments [in the Comments area below] that add value to a topic or to engage in thoughtful, constructive discussion with fellow readers. Comments that contain vulgar language will be removed. Hostile, demeaning, disrespectful, propagandistic and off-topic comments may also be moved. This is a Christian website and if you wish to vent against Christian beliefs you have probably come to the wrong place and your comments may be removed. Ongoing debates and repetitiveness will not be tolerated. You will also disqualify yourself from commenting if you engage in trolling.
