A Return to Summer
For most, things slow down in the summer as our schedules lose some of their weight. What are we going to do with the extra time? We can easily gravitate to the things we’ve always done, but what do we really need?
Taking time off from work should yield some combination of three things, time for rest, time to get away, and time to work on something we would otherwise have no time to do. Rarely do we achieve all three.
If we use the whole time for a trip, we may need a vacation to recover from our vacation. If we take a stay-cation, we may feel cheated not having gotten away. If we spend our time working on projects, we probably never shut the engines off, and we regret not having rested.
What we really need may be related to what we are really lacking. Many of us are aware of our need to keep our minds sharp and our bodies healthy, but few of us are aware of our spiritual condition.
Church goers might assume that attending church once a week is enough to address their spiritual needs. But we certainly address our physical needs and our mental wellbeing more than an hour a week.
Could the summer bring time for a spiritual retreat? Could the summer bring time for improving our relationship with the God we serve? In the world, entertainment seems to equal enjoyment, but I can testify that nothing is more enjoyable than spending time with the Lord. “In His presence there is fullness of joy and at His right hand there are pleasures forever more.” (Psalm 16:11)
Pastor Gary
