​HAVE A SUCCESSFUL, SPIRITUAL, SUMMER EXPERIENCE

​HAVE A SUCCESSFUL, SPIRITUAL, SUMMER EXPERIENCE

For many of us the summer months will bring a big change of pace. Your children may be around the house, altering the daily routine. You may have plans for a trip, a camping weekend, time at the cabin, or other leisure activities. Work may be busier or less busy depending on your job.

Personally, I’ve always welcomed the summer change of pace. It is slower for me and allows me some get-away time. However, some years ago I noticed something about my summers that I did not like.

I observed that summers often left me physically refreshed, but spiritually disconnected. Because my daily patterns were disrupted, I tended to neglect the disciplines that gave me joy and added to my spiritual vitality during the rest of the year. The solution, I discovered, was to plan ahead for how I would pursue my walk with God, while being flexible enough to embrace the refreshing change that summer brings.

I will often set a summer goal, say, to read a selected portion of the Bible or to memorize particular verses—and I will strategize for my time alone with God. I’ve found, generally, that the best time for quiet time is while others are sleeping in. By taking it then, I don’t disrupt the flow of vacation activities.

At the same time, I am flexible in how I pursue my devotional pattern. My prayers will be less structured and more meditative. I will pray while I am walking on a path or on a beach. I may spend time meditating on God’s creation in the mountains or in a forest.

I encourage you to invest just a small amount of time to pray and plan for your devotional life this summer. You can count on God’s help, because he wants to spend time with you even more than you want to spend time with him!

​ I hope you will have a summer that is both physically and spiritually refreshing. --Pastor Tom

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