Do you remember what it feels like on the last day of school?  The bell rings and people begin singing the Alice Cooper song, School’s Out for Summer, as they spill into the hallways making their way to the buses and cars.  Yesterday wasn’t just my son’s last day of school for this year, but it was his last day of high school.  He graduates this weekend.  He called to say his truck was on empty and asked if I would meet him at the gas station.  When I pulled up beside his truck, he put down his window and held out his phone for me to listen to a video clip.  It was Martin Luther King, Jr. declaring, “Free at last.  Free at last.  Thank God Almighty, I’m free at last.”  I had to laugh at his sense of humor.  He has had a great academic career and said it’s hard to believe he will never go to high school again.
Life is full of seasons.  Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 says, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven; a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.” 
There are few constants you can count on in life other than Jesus; however, you can always count on change to come around in life.  Nothing seems to stay the same forever.  We must learn to ebb and flow with the changes that come our way.  Sometimes those changes are good and bring great joy to our lives, such as the birth of a child. Other times they’re hard, and are accompanied by tears.  The good news is no matter what the change is we’re facing, good or bad, we never face it alone [Deuteronomy 31:6,8; Joshua 1:5].  The Lord is with us through it all, even when we cannot feel Him.  Just like air, God is there!
What season of life are you experiencing right now?  Is it a time filled with joy and celebration? Or is it a time of struggle or sorrow?  God is there.  Even when you can see Him or feel Him, He’s with you.  He will never leave you nor forsake you [Hebrews 13:5].  He’s with you as you walk through difficult times [Psalm 23:4].  He will remain by your side. No matter what you’re facing today, you can experience the peace that comes from the knowledge you are not alone.
I am taking the remainder of this week off to spend it with my son as we begin the celebration of graduation.  I’ll meet you back here on Monday morning.  Have a blessed week.