Summer Slump Solution

[This is actually a repost from last summer but I thought it was worth highlighting once again.]

I love summer. Some people really mind the heat but, even though I admit it can be a bit oppressive at times, as weather goes, this is my favourite time of the year. But every summer we find ourselves feeling the need to issue a warning. In spite of how wonderful summer is, it can also be a time when people slump spiritually. It’s true. Beware of the summer slide. Each year we watch as people start sliding in their spiritual commitments and what should be a season of blessing becomes a season of regret.

So, I thought I’d offer just a little bit of pastoral advice to anyone who might care to be reading these words. The danger is real but so is the solution. The summer slump is preventable but it won’t be avoided simply by a resolve to try harder or anything like that.

Here is my advice - change it up. Being flexible and adaptable is part of spiritual wisdom. It is a recognition of the way that life time is broken up into seasons. Our living in the time of planting can’t look quite like it does in the time of harvest. It is important that we tailor our approach to summer in a way that is appropriate for what the season consists of. In our context, summer is a time that includes a significant break in work and school, and many of the patterns that characterize our lives at other times. If you simply try and hold the line, the summer break will likely end up breaking you. You need to adjust your approach. For example, the answer is not to stop reading the Bible. But, neither is the answer likely for you to keep reading the Bible the same way or at the same time or in the same place as you would normally do. Change it up. Don’t just stop doing those critically important spiritual disciplines of life. That is the worst thing you can do. But change them up. Break the routine by changing the way that you would otherwise engage in vital spiritual activities so that summer becomes a time of refreshing.

As an example of what this could look like, with so much more ‘free-time’ available than normal, you may want to consider doing more Bible-centered, prayer centered, or other types of devotional time, with your children or grandchildren. Or you might want to use some of the amazing teachable moments that come during some of those great recreational or travel experiences to draw yourself and/or your family closer to God. A summer trip can also be a spiritual pilgrimage. It’s all a matter of your approach to it.

God has built rhythm into His creation. Life has an ebb and flow to it as they say. Don’t try and fight against what is definitely part of God’s order. To illustrate the point, consider this question – Which is the way of spiritual life and vitality – consistency or change? The answer of course is both. But how can this be, seeing they are seemingly opposite to one another? Here is the wisdom of the principle we are talking about - We need to be consistent in doing the things that keep us connected to the Lord and His will for our lives. But we need to change up our approach in accordance with the seasons or changes in our lives and the situations we find ourselves in.

Get creative, and may God give you wisdom this summer so that the fall finds you spiritually refreshed and invigorated.