Good day, Purposeful Hearts! How is your summer treating you so far? If you’re an educator like me, you probably longed for the last day of exams, the last bit of grading, and the last meetings of the schoolyear, thinking that you were on the cusp of rest and relaxation for your burned-out soul.
If you’re an educator like me, the thoughts of rest and relaxation popped like fragile bubbles as you confronted your summer to-do list and became instantly overwhelmed by this new season, rather than refreshed by it. Course renovations? Yes, it’s on my list. Book projects? Yes, two of them. Blog maintenance? I’m here, aren’t I? Syllabi creation, new major proposals, learning management system updates, continuing education work, board certification exam for my coaching practice . . . and all of my family obligations like leagues, camps, jobs, travel, and the like. Yeesh.
Does any of that sound familiar to you? I’m sure you inserted your own summer to-do list as you were reading, and perhaps you, too, became overwhelmed. So, what do we do? Well, seeing as we just finished several weeks of discussing how not to worry, we should be well-equipped to face the challenge of summer busyness as well, right?
In our recent family devotions, we were reading about God’s creation of the world in six days and his rest on the seventh day. He used this same design to set forth an example of balancing work on this earth with a bit of rest – yes, physical rest was part of this, but we also have an amazing spiritual rest that is ours through forgiveness in Christ. And both types of rest are critical for managing your summer schedule and your mental outlook.
Because I am at peace with God through his gift of rest from my burden of sin, I am free to live in thankfulness and use my life to serve and worship him. And, because he set an example of working hard for six days and resting on the seventh, I can learn to take the short, sweet breaks that I need to refuel and re-energize for whatever comes next. If I’m resting the right way, by leaning on Christ and reading God’s words to me in the Bible, I’ll remain ready to purposefully redeem the time that I have on this earth.
No, your summer won’t be perfectly restful; there’s no such thing. But it can feel more balanced, productive, and rewarding if you rest the right way! Pursue your callings with energy and pursue God’s rest with purpose. He will know how to restore you. He will give you what you need. And he will be ready to use you again when your rest is over!
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