School’s out for summer! Six or more weeks of bliss, freedom, rest, sun and warmth. At least, that’s what we hope for. With the versatile spring weather we had, we don’t know if we will have some stable summer weather this year.
Many of us will be going away for a few weeks. Probably you are looking forward to it. I hope it will be all that you desire it to be. But there is no guarantee. No matter how good the weather will turn out, how wonderful the location will be, the fun activities that are on the menu… You take yourself and the ones that come along with you.
It seems that at the end of August, there is always a spike in divorces and relationship break-ups. That is attributed to a few things: a) the summer holidays have been a disappointment; b) partners come to the conclusion they don’t have anything to say to each other anymore, and c) being together as a family can be very stressful if the rest of the year consists of individual persons living their own lives in a setting in which not much interaction is required.
Here are a few tips to make your summer holidays a success:
- Don’t hype it too much, lower expectations.
- Your relationships during the summer holidays will be as good as they are before the summer holidays. Invest in them throughout the year, not only during 2 or 3 weeks in July and August.
- Don’t overload. Manage the stress levels of yourself and your family.
- Use some of your extra free time during your summer holidays to connect with God, by yourself and with your family. It will take your eyes away from yourself and what you want, and focus them on what God wants.
Here is a Bible portion to ponder when we think about getting ‘real rest’. In The Message we read this: The promise of “arrival” and “rest” is still there for God’s people. God himself is at rest. And at the end of the journey, we’ll surely rest with God. So, let’s keep at it and eventually arrive at the place of rest, not drop out through some sort of disobedience. Hebrews 4:9-11
I wish you a splendid summer holidays, whether you will be away or at home. And when you are home, we hope we will see you in the services. During July Sundays only at 10:00 in the morning!