As July fades into the rearview mirror, many of us wonder how the summer got away from us and how we can salvage the time that is left. These three articles pose helpful reminders about redeeming our time, living by grace, and resting in God’s providence in this and in all seasons.
How to Make the Most of Summer Break
Although there are plenty of ways to spend summer break, Andrew Menkis offers three general principles to help structure your season in a way that glorifies the Lord.
“Whether you’re looking forward to summer yourself, or you’re a parent and your kids are about to start their break, this is a time of opportunity,” writes Menkis. “Without the daily routine and demands of school, margins of time become available. God wants us to be intentional about the way we use our time. In one of his letters, Paul calls Christians to ‘make the best use of the time’ (Eph. 5:16). There are so many ways to do this; I’d like to give three simple suggestions as you think about how you might make the most of summer break.”
The Summer Stockpile
“If I’m honest, I find myself fearing summer,” writes Aimee Joseph. “I love structure and routine. I like to keep technology to a minimum in our household. Sibling squabbling wears on my peace-loving soul. The summer promises long days at the pool and popsicles, but it also promises crabby, bored boys who have spent too much time with me and each other…
“What I really need for this summer is a stockpile of grace. The problem is that grace can’t be stockpiled. Like the manna that sustained the Israelites in the wilderness, it must be gathered daily. Any attempt to store up grace will grow maggots like hoarded manna.”
A Guilt-Free Bucket List for Your Summer Break
Brianna Lambert hits on a familiar feeling of guilt when she describes advertisers encouraging us to “Book that getaway and make memories for a lifetime!” And when another summer rolls by without a big family vacation or even without the little plans taking place, it's easy to wonder if we’re falling short. “How can we know we’ve done enough?” Lambert asks.
“The fear of time slipping away with our children makes sense,” she writes. “We’re finite creatures after all; our days are limited (Ps. 90:10). Our children will grow and the summers we experience as a family unit will cease. But we don’t need to enter the summer with a yoke of guilt upon our necks. God doesn’t call us to memory-packed summers. His burden is light, and when we approach our summer in his wisdom, we’ll find greater freedom and hope as parents.”
