Summer Soul Care

It’s great to be out of school, to head to vacations, do Project Shine, and camps! It’s a time that can be relaxing, refreshing and recharging. But it can also be a time of drifting and struggling. Summer is a time when routines are broken, and free time is increased. Although there is a lot of excitement, there is also a lot of boredom.

Free time, especially when you are bored, can be the most dangerous time for believers. When routines are broken and you have too much time on your hands, you heart and mind are prone to wander. As the old saying goes, “idle hands are the devil’s playground.”

Often times we develop good routines for the school year, we have class, after school activities, work, homework, and quiet times. We have a schedule and we stay disciplined by holding fast to it. But when the routine is kicked to the curb, often times we allow ourselves to let things go.

Unfortunately, during the busy season we say we will focus on our spiritual life when we are on break. We believe the lie that we don’t have time to do a quiet time when we are busy, but we will make time when we are on break. And then break comes and we continue to forget about God.

Oh Christian, I want to encourage you not to take a vacation from God. Stay disciplined. Use your summer time wisely. Take full advantage of a relaxed schedule to read more of your Bible, to journal about your faith, to read Christian books, to pray and hangout with other believers.

You need it. Your soul needs it. Your soul longs for, thirsts for time with God. Listen to the Psalmist:

Psalm 42:1–2, 5–6

            ¹As a deer pants for flowing streams,

                        so pants my soul for you, O God.

            ²My soul thirsts for God,

                        for the living God.

            When shall I come and appear before God?

            ⁵Why are you cast down, O my soul,

                        and why are you in turmoil within me?

            Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,

                        my salvation ⁶and my God.

            My soul is cast down within me;

                        therefore I remember you…

The Psalmist describes the soul thirsting for God, like a deer panting for water. Time with God is to be like a refreshing glass of cold water on a hot summer day, the kind that brings refreshment to your whole body.

He asks, “why are you downcast o my soul?” Have you ever felt like your soul was downcast? Maybe you’ve felt like your soul is dry, or apathetic? He says to put your hope in God by praising Him and remembering Him.

Do you have a desire to be with God? For God to be with you? Have you spent time with God in such a way that you found it to be refreshing? That’s His promise to you, “draw near to God and He will draw near to you!”

Here are some practical steps to draw near to God this summer:

1.     Read and/or Listen to the Bible. I know it sounds pretty basic, that’s because it is. But we overlook it all too often. Consider the “mastering 5 minutes” approach. Every time you have an extra 5 minutes, instead of Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, Candy Crush, read a chapter of the Bible.

a.     There are several apps that you can read and/or listen to the Word.

b.     You could do the “Read the Bible in 90 Days” option. Here is a schedule for that, or you can even buy a Bible in 90 Days Bible. It is really devoting 45-60 minutes a day and you will work through the entire Bible in 3 months.

c.     Read 3 chapters of the Gospels every day and work your way through all 4 in 1 month. It’s a great way to fix your eyes on Jesus.

d.     Read one chapter of Proverbs every day for the month of July.

e.     Read through 5 chapters of Psalms every day and you will get through Psalms in a month.

f.      Read reflectively. Checkout www.Examen.me for some cool devotionals (may not open on Google Chrome).

2.     Retreat into nature. You on summer break, consider going for a hike w/o your phone. Just take a Bible and a notebook. Find a spot on the beach, by a river or lake, or in a hammock. Consider the nature God has made and talk to Him about it. Read, write, pray, sing. Try an hour, then two, work your way to a whole day alone with God.

3.     Find a good Christian book about God, life, friendship, etc. Don’t know what book to choose, consider this list – 27 Books Christian Teens Should Read (And Grownups Should Too)

4.     Serve Others. We are headed to Project Shine on Sunday, and it will be a great week to serve others. But we don’t need to be on a missions trip to serve, look around your house, neighborhood and community for ways to serve others.

5.     Share your faith. If your soul feels dry, there’s a good chance it’s because you haven’t shared with others about the goodness and kindness of God found only in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It might be scary, but it will be worth it. Watch your faith transform as you tell others about the God you serve.

There are so many other ways to take care of your soul. The most important thing is that you look to Jesus Christ in your disciplines. That you aren’t trying to do this on your own or to sound spiritual. Come to the fountain of living waters ready to learn, to drink deep, to encounter the living God and you will find refreshment to your soul.