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“Empty Nest verses Fulfilling Next”
By Susanne Scheppmann
Key Verse:
Jeremiah
29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord,
"plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a
future.” (NIV)
Devotion:
I
now enjoy that my chicks have flown the coop.
However, that wasn’t always the case.
I mourned for my first son when he left home. His empty seat haunted me from across the
dinner table. I dreaded it when my
daughter graduated and moved to California.
I bawled when my youngest son joined his older brother in Minnesota, a
mere 1,700 miles away from me.
But
now? Although I love my children dearly,
I am glad they are competent and independent grown adults. I will always be their mother but now I can
be their friend too. I realize that when
certain seasons of life pass, such as raising children, then God provides
pathways to new adventures. Because He
promises, “He plans to prosper us… and to give us a hope and future” (Jeremiah
29:11 NIV). Life is not over when our
children leave home, it’s just a new beginning.
An
exciting and unknown journey begins each time we enter a new phase in our
spiritual life. We should look back
where we have been and what we have been through during the years. Henry Blackaby calls these spiritual
markers. He writes in Experiencing God, “God works in
sequence to accomplish His divine purposes, What He did in the past was done
with a Kingdom purpose in mind. What He
is doing in the present is in the sequence with the past with the same Kingdom
purpose in mind. Every act of God builds
on the past with a view toward the future. . . A spiritual marker identifies a
time of transition, decision, or direction.”
So,
the “empty nest” is a time to transition to the “fulfilling next”. What’s in your past that you can use to
fulfill your future? What dusty dreams
do you still hope to achieve?
For
example, I recently spoke at a Mothers of Preschoolers Event. I met a woman who was on a brand new
adventure. Her children were grown up
and long gone from her home. Yet, she held a darling foster daughter in her
arms. My new friend told me she had
always wanted to nurture abused and neglected children in her home. However, she did not have enough room until
her own children went to college. This
motivated woman had now transitioned her home into a foster care and loved
every minute of it.
Next
with a smile and chuckle, she introduced me to her married daughter. This daughter sat beside her bouncing a
cooing baby on her lap. Yes - Grandma,
foster daughter, grown daughter and granddaughter all attended the same MOPS
group.
So
have your kids flown the nest? If yes,
it’s your time to fulfill the next spiritual marker God places in your
life. Let your imagination and dreams
soar. Write your book. Finish your nursing degree. Volunteer at church. It’s your turn to fly!
Prayer:
Father, thank you for this new opportunity to
soar into your eternal purpose for my life.
Help me to review my past and discover my new purpose beyond raising my
children. Give me the courage to step
out into the new adventure that awaits me beyond the empty nest. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Application
steps:
Spend
some time reviewing your life. Make a
list of past spiritual markers in your life and consider what they have
prepared you to do now. Jot down a few
dreams that you would like to accomplish.
Then determine to step out in faith to achieve what God’s purpose is for
you in the future.
Refection
points:
Do I believe God has a plan for my life beyond
motherhood?
What spiritual markers make me who I am today
and what I could become?
Where do I see myself in ten years?
What can I do that would make my children proud
of me?
Power
verses:
Philippians 2:13, “For it is God who works in
you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” (NIV)
Proverbs
24:14, “Know also that wisdom is sweet to your soul; if you find it, there is a
future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off. (NIV)
Proverbs
16:3, “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.” (NIV)
Ephesians
2:10, “For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works,
which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (NIV)
Psalm
138:8, “The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your love, O Lord, endures
forever--do not abandon the works of your hands. (NIV)
© 2006 by Susanne Scheppmann. All rights reserved.
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