Soon, summer will be here, and the kids will be out of school. It will be the season of sun, fun, swimming, and vacations. I know some people get apprehensive about summer because they need to make plans for their children, but this is a time of gratitude. The bustle of the school season is over, and now is the time to relax and have fun with your kids, family, and friends.
Welcoming the Season with a Thankful Heart
We need to welcome summer with a thankful heart. We can trade homework, extracurricular activities, and football games for swimming pools, homemade ice cream, and soaking up the sun. This is the season to enjoy time with your kids.
Seeing God’s Goodness in Longer Days and Warmer Light
One of the best things about summer is the longer days. There’s something about extra light that lifts the spirit and makes you feel more alive compared to the cold, dark days of winter.
Longer days give us more hours to see clearly, work peacefully, and rest without the hurry of our normal routines. More sunshine allows us to notice the things that we miss during the bitter days of winter, like children laughing and playing outside, our neighbor’s garden springing to life, and watching a beautiful sunset on the front porch.
These are also signs of God’s goodness in our lives.
Gratitude for Rest, Renewal, and Rhythms of Sabbath
This season also brings a sense of rest, renewal, and slower rhythms of the Sabbath to our days. Not having to get up early to get the kids off to school allows us to rest; renewal comes through refreshing our spiritual lives, pursuing new or long-lost hobbies, or having leisurely time visiting with friends.
Our Sabbath days are much more relaxed, rather than having evenings when we have to scramble to get everyone ready for work and school the next day. It gives us more time to stop, receive, remember, and delight in the Lord.
We notice our gratitude for rest, renewal, and the Sabbath in the following ways;
● We have clarity after waking from sleep.
● We have patience from stepping away from our daily grind.
● There is perspective in silence.
● We notice healing taking place when we stop striving.
● Renewal comes from healthy sleep and routines.
● Time in nature brings us renewal.
● Worship and reflection renew our spirits.
● We renew our friendships through laughter and shared meals.
● We also renew ourselves through music, reading, art, and prayer.
● Ceasing ordinary work on the Sabbath.
● Keeping commitments simple.
● Enjoying meals without having to hurry.
These things encapsulate gratitude for rest, renewal, and the Sabbath.
Counting Everyday Blessings in Ordinary Summer Moments
Summer has its own soundtrack that allows us to count everyday blessings in ordinary summer moments. Sounds like the chirp of crickets at dusk, the splash of a sprinkler, an ice cream truck with its tinkling music, or the sound of children screaming and playing down the street. These all become the season’s rhythm. Although ordinary, they can bring a sense of place and invoke deeply comforting memories.
The subtle sounds of summer are also important, such as the clinking of ice in a glass or the gentle whir of a ceiling fan while napping in the afternoon. These minor details anchor us in the moment and remind us that life is happening now, encouraging us to stay in it.
Thankfulness in Creation: Lessons from Nature’s Beauty
Summer has its own natural beauty. The trees are in bloom with bright green leaves and flowers; the grass is a fresh emerald green, and the clear skies at night allow us to see every star. Trees also provide shade, fruit, and oxygen. The oceans people love to visit regulate climate and nourish countless forms of life. Birds sing loudly at dawn, and critters like squirrels race up and down trees to our amusement.
As we observe the things God has created for us, let us thank him for the beauty he’s given us.
Sharing Blessings with Family, Friends, and Neighbors
Summer is a great time to share your blessings with family, friends, and neighbors. Make an elaborate meal on a Saturday or Sunday and invite your extended family members. Did you plant a garden? Share your surplus produce with your neighbors and friends. Do you have a swimming pool? Invite your kid’s friends and their parents to come over and join you. If you want, ask everyone to bring a dish and make it a potluck. Does your kid mow lawns during the summer? Hire them to handle your elderly neighbor's lawn mowing for the entire summer. This summer, consider volunteering with your kids. There are all kinds of ways to bless the people in your life this summer.
Remembering God’s Faithfulness During the Summer
With a slower pace of life, summer is the perfect time to sit down and reflect on God’s faithfulness. Find a quiet spot to be alone with your thoughts and the Lord and reflect on all that He’s done for you this year. Maybe he’s answered prayers in unexpected ways or given you the strength to get through some difficult times this year.
Grab a notebook or journal and write the prayers He’s answered this year and what those answers were. Next, write prayers you are still waiting to get answers to. After jotting your thoughts, thank Him for the blessings in your life and for being faithful in your life to provide whatever you need.
Practicing Contentment as Summer Plans Begin
Summer comes with its own expectations of making the season ‘perfect’. There is an unspoken need to make it memorable, which means the pressure is on to book the perfect vacation, have memorable experiences, constantly entertain children, and host gatherings. Instead of returning to routines refreshed, people return burnt out and depleted. This is not how summer is supposed to be.
On top of this, lots of people scroll through social media and see others on their perfect vacations with their amazing kids and their fantastic spouse. Or the perfectly hosted gathering with beautiful food and drink presentations. They feel as if they do these things right, we will be happy, free, and fulfilled. All these things only trap us into ‘discontentment’ and ‘keeping up with the Joneses’.
Instead, we need to grasp the ring of contentment and hold on to it tightly. We can still have a great summer if we don’t do big, elaborate things. Being content means we have to ask ourselves, ‘Can I be at peace in this moment, even if not everything is as I hoped?’ Our answer should be yes.
Instead of envying what everyone else has or does, we should be content in our own lives. Envy only leads to comparison and discontent. Our summer can still be fantastic without all the frills.
We can do this by…
● Keeping a summer gratitude journal.
● Naming three good things at the end of the day.
● Thank others more often and more specifically.
● Before meals or events, pause and take in the moment.
Living Out Gratitude as a Witness of Christian Joy
We can live out our gratitude to God in various ways, including;
● Thanking God for answered prayers.
● Thanking him for his forgiveness.
● Being grateful, He’s blessed you with a community you can lean on.
● Being grateful for lessons learned through hardship.
These are some things that people notice and draw them to want to know more about the Jesus we serve.
Summer is a great time to reflect on what we’re grateful for. Take some time today to count your blessings.
Photo credit: ©GettyImages/Choreograph
