Summer with Jesus
The sun was shining, the air was clear and brisk. We were standing outside of our favorite local breakfast place waiting for a table. It was mid-morning, so the best breakfast place in town had a bit of a wait and we were casually chatting about future plans of summer and vacation.
My mentor casually threw out the phrase: “I’m getting used to the idea that vacationing isn’t a break from the routines of faith, but instead a chance to vacation with Jesus.”
I think I kept talking, but my brain latched onto what she just said. It was always the case that whenever I wasn’t at my university, I was always somewhat on a “vacation” from my faith. I didn’t have to go to bible study, didn’t have meetings with friends, didn’t have the weekly extra Tuesday night worship and just in general typically fell into doing whatever I used to do before those things took residence in my life.
Her words still echo with me today as we head into the summer season and the typical off-season for college students, a season of “rest” if you will. If you’re anything like I was in college, summer can be the time that we end up not knowing what to do with our faith, not understanding how to thrive in different atmospheres and rhythms and truly end up wasting the time binge-watching too many tv shows, staying up late scrolling social media, sleeping in and in general being very unproductive. Does this sound like a follower of Christ who has offered their body as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1-2). Does this sound like someone who has found a treasure in a field and sold everything he had to buy the field (Matthew 13:44-46)?
What if there was a different way? What if instead of viewing the summer as a 3 month rest-period, we take regular rest throughout the entire year (ever heard of sabbath? Exodus 20:8) and instead look for the opportunities that summer has to offer. Here are some tips for college students out there (and high school grads!) to make the most of your summer:
Assess your summer attitude: What is summer for? Are you viewing it as a time where you’re supposed to just “rest” the whole 3 months? If that is so - how are you truly resting? What does rest look like for you and what ideas of false rest might be keeping you from actually resting? Could you instead change your attitude and consider yourself a “summer missionary” to your hometown, family, area? What would it look like if you were to serve and pray for those around you this summer?
Look for a job, or ways to serve: Paul, in Ephesians 4 tells us not to steal, but instead to work and make a wage that we may be able to give to those who are in need. What would it look like if you were to grab at temporary job at the pool? The local coffee shop? Helping run summer kids camps? Even mowing lawns for your neighbors, nannying, babysitting or pet sitting? The money that you make from this venture could go toward your future mission trips next school year, your text books, your retreat costs or you can even donate a portion of it to your church or a non-profit of your choice. If you don’t have the time to get a formal job, perhaps you could look into volunteer opportunities to keep you on a schedule. Do you have a homeless shelter in your area? Do you have a refugee ministry? Perhaps your church needs help with their youth program over the summer?
Be faithful to a church: Maybe you’ve grown up in a church and you’re very connected or maybe you’re going home to find a church for the first time to get connected with. Jump into whatever summer programs they might have going on, or ask to meet with an elder or the pastor and ask what ways a college student could serve the church during the summer. Perhaps the worship team could use an extra member, or the church could use some help with their social media accounts? Consider your talents and what you could offer. Look for small groups, summer gatherings, or anything that your church is doing and participate in it!
Seek out mentorship and/or accountability to grow in your faith: It’s unfortunately a common misconception that mentors seek out many mentees. However, if you want to be mentored - consider what it looks like to look around at the people around you in the beginning days and weeks this summer and identify someone’s faith that you respect. Ask to grab coffee with that person and ask for their wisdom on areas of growth that you need and what their availability might look like to meet with you a few times over the summer. If a mentor is not accessible to you, consider reaching out to someone from your campus fellowship to be accountable to growing this summer to report your highs, lows, prayer requests, struggles and triumphs. Check in with one another weekly to see how God might be growing and encouraging the other.
Practice habits of faith: Throughout the school years things get so busy, and students often struggle to find time to pray, connect with God, read scripture, serve, or do any of the things that Jesus commanded that we do. Pick a habit of faith and focus on learning about that one habit and practicing it. Get creative with it! If it’s prayer - try different ways of praying: out loud, in a journal, while walking, with others, while coloring, for the nations, etc. Consider adopting a country where the Gospel of Jesus hasn’t reached yet and pray for that country. Pray for world conflicts. Consider how Jesus may you use this summer to impact even world change.
Plan for next summer: What would it look like to spend your next summer on mission? Or in a ministry internship? What would it look like to put yourself in new places instead of the home where you are so tempted to go back to old habits? You can always talk campus ministry staff, your youth pastor or local pastor about opportunities that they might know about that would help college students grow in their faith and connection to the Lord.
Summer can be used as a time to “rest” and waste our time away on netflix and tiktok, but what if instead, God has given you such a time as this to grow in intimacy with Him and impact his Kingdom? How about we make sure we don’t summer away from Jesus, but summer with Him. Will you join Jesus in this pursuit and answer His call?