The one advantage to being at school is that you usually have a schedule to follow. I don't know about you, but I'm a creature of habit. I like having a basic schedule, something I can rely on happening each week but with enough wiggle room to throw in something fun and spontaneous now and then. With that schedule, I was able to work in a Bible study, meetings with my Christian sorority, worship and other on-campus ministries. I made sure I had set out some time for Christ and meditation on God's word and His many blessings in my life. But now that we're all thrown off kilter with the summer, we may find that we haven't scheduled any time for God.
But when you think about it, all you're really doing at home is making a new short-term schedule for yourself. But don't think of it as some looming daily deadline you have to stick to. It's your personal time with Jesus. So here are some ways you can keep yourself connected to Christ over the summer break.
1. Start going to your home church
This one is simple, and you probably expected it. You can always go back to your home church that you grew up in, or the one your family has been going to while you were at school. Sundays were set aside as a day of the Lord, and they should stay that way; this gives you an opportunity to plug back in with your church community. Sunday church services give us an opportunity to refresh and prepare for a week out in the mission field.
2. Get into a Bible study
You may find that your home church is starting a new unit of study one night a week. You might also connect with some old friends from high school and start a study among yourselves where each week someone else leads the group. There are also plenty of online studies and apps you can choose from. Of course, it's always great to be in a Bible study with others so you can learn what they may have discovered on their own during the week. It's also great fellowship!
3. Get involved
One of the things I look forward to the most during the summer is leading the VBS session at my home church. At first, it's a little embarrassing to get in front of a ton of kids to do silly dance moves and talk in an attention-grabbing manner. But by the end of the week, leading those children in worship was the first thing on my mind when I woke up each morning. You could work with the youth group on Wednesday nights or intern for your church when you have some time off from work. In the end, the service you do for the Lord is one of the most important things you can do in this life!
4. Keep your thoughts on Him
Last summer, my boyfriend introduced me to the Christian rapper KB. He does a lot of collaboration with other Christian rappers like Lecrae and Andy Mineo — they all make up a group called The 116 Clique. What they bring to the table is a wealth of music talking about their own walks in the faith and other stories and lessons they've encountered. The music is really well mixed, and the lyrics are even more thought provoking. You'd be amazed what snippets of good advice and food for thought these guys give you in their songs. I really encourage you to give them a listen. Save one of their albums or playlists to your phone from Spotify and listen in your car. You'll be surprised!
5. Set time aside for you and God
This is probably the hardest and yet the easiest to follow. Over the semester, I met a new friend who told me he woke up an hour earlier each day just to spend time with the Word and the Word alone. It was amazing how much he learned and was able to recite from memory just because of this dedicated time he took each morning. I'm not saying you need to wake up at 8 each morning during your summer break, but what you learn in your reading in the morning can often find ways of applying itself somewhere else in the day. We have much more time in the summer to ourselves than we do in the school year, and yet we always busy ourselves with work as well as some well-deserved play. But we also have to realize that our relationship with Christ is the only thing that matters. We can spend at least 20 minutes in His word.
There are so many other ways we can grow in our spiritual walk with Christ this summer. Everyone's journey is different, and you can tailor your experiences this summer to what works best for you. The important thing is that you continue to grow. Every day. Find a way to get involved at your church and remain well-armed with the Word. Just make sure you also take some time to relax and enjoy the warm weather before we're all crammed back in that library when fall rolls around.
