“Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before” (Phil. 3:13 KJV).
There is a transition in life that parents must face. It is called the empty-nest syndrome. It describes the time after children become independent and leave their parents’ home.
A large part of getting through the empty-nest syndrome is learning how to let go and allow your children to stand on their own. That means coming to terms with your shifting roles as parents and realizing that if you’ve put in them what you were supposed to put in them through precept and example, they’ll be all right.
One reason why some people have such a hard time is that they don’t have anything else to do. They don’t have a life anymore because their lives were wrapped up in their kids.
Contrarily, God’s way is to wrap your life around your spouse. Everything else which comes out of that relationship, children included, is just a blessing.
Consequently, you need to look at the empty-nest period as a good thing. It’s simply a time of transition. It is meant to be a time of adjustment, to re-examine your marriage to see if you’ve reached the goals that you set as a couple.
It is also the time to renegotiate your marriage and begin a new partnership. Find out where you want to go next and what you need to do in order to get there as you prepare for the next season in your marriage.
You may discover that you have to reestablish the feelings and love you once had for each other. But you’ll also find that you have more freedom to do it. You can walk around the house again with nothing on if you want to! You don’t have to lock your bedroom door anymore. You don’t even have to take the phone off the hook.
All the things you couldn’t do when your children were there, you now have the liberty to enjoy once again. So you should use this time to reestablish the importance of your marriage and to rediscover one another.
You can renew or fortify your relationship and experience even greater intimacy than you had before. If you’ll take advantage of this time, you will handle this stage in life with grace, and you’ll find that you’ll be in a much better position to face the years ahead.
Scripture References: 1 Corinthians 9:24; Hebrews 12:1
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Pastor Deborah L. Butler is the first lady Word of Faith International Christian Centre located in Southfield, Michigan where she serves in ministry with her husband, Bishop Keith A. Butler.
Pastor Deborah is a licensed and ordained minister of the Gospel. Her encouraging, yet down-to-earth teaching imparts wisdom from the Word of God into all that hear her speak. One of Pastor Butler’s many duties is serving as the Director of the Women of Virtue Ministry. Pastor Deborah is often called to travel to other ministries to teach and admonish women to walk in the wisdom of God, and to experience peace in every area of their lives.