I went with three of my daughters to the Rebelution Do Hard Things conference a few weeks ago. Rebelution is the project of twins Alex and Brett Harris (age 20) who as teenagers published the book Do Hard Things to encourage their peers to not accept the low expectations the culture places on youth, and to aspire to significant accomplishment as youth.
At the conference I ran into their dad, Gregg Harris, an old friend and pioneer in the home school movement. Gregg now heads the Noble Institute for Leadership Development and is teaching elder of Household of Faith Community Church in Portland, Ore. We talked about changes in our lives and how we both seemed to be moving into new things. Gregg said, “We are moving into a different season of life.” When he said that my mind went back ten years, to a time I had heard Gregg speak on the seasons of life.
I have reflected often on the concept of the seasons of life. I have felt the uneasiness of transition from one to another. I am coming to realize that when we move from one to the other another time of separation and inner alignment is called for so that we can successfully make the transition with minimal anxiety. It seems the masculine way requires continual separation and reflection, connecting in new fully defined ways. We are never quite “there.”
Gregg speaks of four seasons of life I’d like to mention, with my own reflections. To me they speak of the development of patriarchy and maturity in our lives as we continue on the path of becoming more like Christ.
Preparation. From childhood until the time we marry and begin having children we live in a period of preparation, where first responsibility is being student. We are learning all we can to prepare for life. We begin to venture out into the world and attempt to find our place. We begin to learn who we are as an individual.
I am convinced the best transition point out of preparation and into the next season needs a defining moment, a coming of age trial and ritual. Here is where our first separation should occur, where we go away from family and familiar way of life to find our identity and calling before God, where we define who we will be and how we will relate. Confession: I did not get to have such a period, and I am now convinced it severely slowed my progress. This is critical to moving into adulthood. I am equally convinced we have many immature adult men because they also did not have this kind of transition.
Production. The next season begins when we transition into adult life. We take a wife, establish a household, begin having children. We learn responsibility and we learn how to become productive. The main emphasis at this time is household and community. We become the patriarch by living out prophet, priest, and king as we raise our children in the “nurture and admonition of the Lord.”
The transition is when our children grow up and marry, and begin having children. We realize everything changes and we take on new roles as advisors. We become grandparents. It is hard for me to believe I will be a grandpaw in December! Transitioning out of this phase can bring about what we call “midlife crisis.” We begin to realize we are aging and that many of the goals we set in our youth will not be accomplished. Any errors we made with our children will become obvious and painful.
Provision. Having built our household and earning potential we move into a time of greater wealth production. Children are growing up and we can begin getting involved in other pursuits. If we have been maturing, we can put our accumulated wisdom to work in community efforts. This is the time when we earn eldership, where people begin to look to us for counsel. A young man approached me not long ago for counsel on particular matters. He said he wanted the wisdom of an “older man.” It is good to become active in church eldership at this time, because this is when we have the practical wisdom to contribute value to leadership conversations and decisions.
The transition from here is when we anticipate retirement. We become aware something has changed. Our energy may not be where it was, or we simply want to go in a new direction. Here another masculine separation is necessary to gain a perspective of how to relate in a new season.
Protection. The last season of life is what Gregg Harris calls protection. He refers to this as the time when we can lend the strength of our experience and wisdom to the community around us in government policy that protects us from harm. I think history shows our country’s best statesmen have been those in their 60s and 70s.
Our culture wants to devalue the contribution of those with experience. It wants to appeal to a younger generation unfortunately lacking in experience and wisdom, and totally consumed with self gratification. Our societal problems will stem from this significant error.
Lived out faithfully and with integrity, these four seasons of life are the stuff of patriarchy. Learn about the seasons, do all you can to live into the season you are in now, and when it is time to prepare for the next, separate enough to discover how to transition well.
At the conference I ran into their dad, Gregg Harris, an old friend and pioneer in the home school movement. Gregg now heads the Noble Institute for Leadership Development and is teaching elder of Household of Faith Community Church in Portland, Ore. We talked about changes in our lives and how we both seemed to be moving into new things. Gregg said, “We are moving into a different season of life.” When he said that my mind went back ten years, to a time I had heard Gregg speak on the seasons of life.
I have reflected often on the concept of the seasons of life. I have felt the uneasiness of transition from one to another. I am coming to realize that when we move from one to the other another time of separation and inner alignment is called for so that we can successfully make the transition with minimal anxiety. It seems the masculine way requires continual separation and reflection, connecting in new fully defined ways. We are never quite “there.”
Gregg speaks of four seasons of life I’d like to mention, with my own reflections. To me they speak of the development of patriarchy and maturity in our lives as we continue on the path of becoming more like Christ.
Preparation. From childhood until the time we marry and begin having children we live in a period of preparation, where first responsibility is being student. We are learning all we can to prepare for life. We begin to venture out into the world and attempt to find our place. We begin to learn who we are as an individual.
I am convinced the best transition point out of preparation and into the next season needs a defining moment, a coming of age trial and ritual. Here is where our first separation should occur, where we go away from family and familiar way of life to find our identity and calling before God, where we define who we will be and how we will relate. Confession: I did not get to have such a period, and I am now convinced it severely slowed my progress. This is critical to moving into adulthood. I am equally convinced we have many immature adult men because they also did not have this kind of transition.
Production. The next season begins when we transition into adult life. We take a wife, establish a household, begin having children. We learn responsibility and we learn how to become productive. The main emphasis at this time is household and community. We become the patriarch by living out prophet, priest, and king as we raise our children in the “nurture and admonition of the Lord.”
The transition is when our children grow up and marry, and begin having children. We realize everything changes and we take on new roles as advisors. We become grandparents. It is hard for me to believe I will be a grandpaw in December! Transitioning out of this phase can bring about what we call “midlife crisis.” We begin to realize we are aging and that many of the goals we set in our youth will not be accomplished. Any errors we made with our children will become obvious and painful.
Provision. Having built our household and earning potential we move into a time of greater wealth production. Children are growing up and we can begin getting involved in other pursuits. If we have been maturing, we can put our accumulated wisdom to work in community efforts. This is the time when we earn eldership, where people begin to look to us for counsel. A young man approached me not long ago for counsel on particular matters. He said he wanted the wisdom of an “older man.” It is good to become active in church eldership at this time, because this is when we have the practical wisdom to contribute value to leadership conversations and decisions.
The transition from here is when we anticipate retirement. We become aware something has changed. Our energy may not be where it was, or we simply want to go in a new direction. Here another masculine separation is necessary to gain a perspective of how to relate in a new season.
Protection. The last season of life is what Gregg Harris calls protection. He refers to this as the time when we can lend the strength of our experience and wisdom to the community around us in government policy that protects us from harm. I think history shows our country’s best statesmen have been those in their 60s and 70s.
Our culture wants to devalue the contribution of those with experience. It wants to appeal to a younger generation unfortunately lacking in experience and wisdom, and totally consumed with self gratification. Our societal problems will stem from this significant error.
Lived out faithfully and with integrity, these four seasons of life are the stuff of patriarchy. Learn about the seasons, do all you can to live into the season you are in now, and when it is time to prepare for the next, separate enough to discover how to transition well.
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