Let's all collectively take a deep breath and rejoice in the changing of seasons. Perhaps you need to remind yourself of the one thing I preach to myself every year at the beginning of summer: Rest doesn't have to look like a vacation at the beach or kids who don't argue every day of summer. Rest is how I choose to abide in Christ, even as some things come to a close while other things ramp up in the rhythms of our lives.
So, whether you're eagerly welcoming the slow summer months, or anxiously dreading it's draining demands on your energy, take heart: the seasons and the months don't dictate our rest and abiding; where we set our hope does.
While our school rhythm is loosening up for the summer, my writing and painting schedule is tightening up. I have a picture of a perfect summer in my mind, and if I'm not careful, I can worship that idea, rather than the One who directs my steps. I'm reminded of the conversation between Moses and God in Exodus 33:14, where Moses pleads for assurance as he wrestles with what God had called him to do. God replies to Moses: “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
Friend, wherever we go, whatever is planned or not planned for our summers, and however He chooses to lead us, His presence will go with us, and there will we find rest.
I dug up some thoughts on summer from the past and found a few recipes you might enjoy as you practice abiding this summer.
PAST POSTS
- The Truth About Summer {Learned in the First Two Weeks}
- How to Have a Simpler Summer with Your Kids
- Why Family Road Trips Are Worth It
RECIPES
- Mama, I'm Hungry... (summertime snacks)
- Easiest Asian Cold Summer Noodles + Peanut Sauce
- Overnight Shrimp Gazpacho
- Spiced Rum Grilled Pineapple
Because of grace,
