As my kids began to talk and really demand their own way, you begin having lots of tense moments of communication.  Your small children cry, and yell, and pout, and say mean things.  Many of these would happen at bed time as the day was wrapping up.  When these first started happening, I remember feeling like it was the end of the world.  I am a bad parent.  I am ruining my kids.  My kids are insane.  Parenting is hard.  I just want it to stop.  And while all of these may be true either completely or to some degree, I was making a bigger thing out of each of these altercations with the kids than I should have been.  I was in the habit of generating long-term feelings for a short term event.  Here is what I discovered…morning was coming.  Once I got to morning, the event that had seemed so chaotic, unfair, hurtful, lengthy, life altering was usually forgotten about.  My relationship with kids continued.  I loved them, the loved me.  What I thought was significant and never ending was not that at all.  In fact in one night of sleep what seemed like it would never end was done.

I am in a season right now where there are many things in my life that feel like they are never going to end.  Many of these things are hard and uncomfortable.  They present challenges and altercations.   There are high levels of emotions.  Things like trying being in the middle of a capital campaign to raise lots of money.  Or getting ready to hire another staff member after a 6 month search.  Preparing to send my son to kindergarten in a tough school.  Trying to understand why people you minister to for many months can walk away without even saying goodbye or giving an explanation.  But in the middle of this and so much more, I am reminded that morning is coming.  These days will not last forever.  Life will allow these situations, trials, mishaps, altercations and unknowns to pass.  Sure more will come…but morning is coming.  Here are two big lessons I am learning,  God is with me in every season, whether short or long.  Do not allow yourself to develop the wrong lengthy lifestyle habits and attitudes amidst challenges that are in all honesty short term things.  Morning is coming.  And until it gets there, God is with you and for you.