The Summer Invitation Every Christian Educator Needs

LISTEN

I went to visit my mother this past weekend and had the opportunity to take a long walk through my hometown. There’s something comforting about being “home,” even though I haven’t lived there in over forty years. As I walked, I took in the familiar neighborhood. Some homes were beautifully kept, some were weathered with time, and some were entirely new. I noticed signs of spring everywhere—the scent of honeysuckle and peonies, the warmth of the sun, and the wind, my old friend from childhood. When you grow up in Southwest Kansas, wind is simply part of life.

As I strolled and took in the sights, I found myself doing something I rarely do. I wasn’t planning, processing, solving, or worrying. I was simply present, not thinking about much at all. I soaked in the beauty around me and allowed my mind to rest. It was such a beautiful experience, one I realized I need to embrace more often.

Recently, I read through the book of Ecclesiastes, a book centered on life and how not to waste it. Solomon, the author, was certainly qualified to speak on the subject (1 Kings 3:5-12). He experienced nearly everything life had to offer and ultimately discovered that without God, life is empty.

As believers, we know this intellectually, but I want to experience the fullness of that truth in real time, day after day. Don’t you? Why not learn from someone who could genuinely say, “Been there, done that”?  As I continued my walk, sometimes confidently knowing where I was headed and other times wondering if I’d spot a familiar street sign to help me find my way back, I kept thinking about verses that came immediately after Solomon’s famous reminder that there is a season for everything.

“So I concluded there is nothing better than to be happy and enjoy ourselves as long as we can. And people should eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of their labor, for these are gifts from God.” Ecclesiastes 3:12-13

As educators, our to-do lists never truly end. There is always another task waiting for our attention whether that is at school, at home, or in our personal lives. We long for a blank list and a completely free day, even though we know that day rarely comes. Too often we miss the joy that sits directly in front of us because we focus more on what remains unfinished than on what has already been accomplished. Maybe, especially at the end of the school year, it’s time to pause long enough to simply be happy and enjoy what has been accomplished. Scripture says these things are gifts from God.

When I left my mom’s home in Southwest Kansas, I drove through the Texas Panhandle. Navigating this space is far different from driving in the Dallas Metroplex where I currently live. The landscape in the Panhandle feels wide open and desolate at times. The Metroplex is filled with traffic, buildings, noise, and constant movement.

Usually on long drives, I immediately queue up podcasts, audiobooks, or a series to help pass the time. Silence rarely accompanies me anywhere. However, this drive was different. For the first time ever, I sensed very strongly that I was not supposed to turn anything on. No podcast. No music. No radio. Nothing. Just quiet. I cannot fully explain it except to say I felt the Lord invited me into stillness. So I drove in silence. Eight hours of silence.

During that time I looked at the beauty around me. I noticed things I had never paid attention to before. At times I talked with the Lord, but mostly I simply rested my mind. I tried not to overthink, analyze, or force some spiritual breakthrough moment. I wasn’t trying to “figure something out.” I was just driving, observing, breathing, and enjoying.

It was honestly one of the strangest times I’ve had in a long time. There was something deeply rejuvenating about it, something life-giving. I am still processing it all, but I walked away from the experience realizing how exhausted our minds often become from constant noise, constant input, and constant productivity. We rarely give ourselves permission to simply stop, rest, and enjoy.

Scripture has much to say about rest, and countless books have been written on the subject. When I think about rest, I keep coming back to one of the simplest and most familiar passages in the Bible.

“On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation.”  

Genesis 2:2-3

We know God wasn’t tired (Isaiah 40:28). Scripture doesn’t say He needed to rest. Rather, He chose to rest. The Hebrew word used here for rest is shabat, which is often translated to cease or to stop. God looked at all He had created, declared it good, finished His work, and then stopped to enjoy it.

By now you can probably see where I’m going with this. The school year is over, or it is quickly coming to an end. Your work, at least for this season, is finished. Will you allow yourself time to stop? To rest? To enjoy what has been accomplished? Will you step off the proverbial hamster wheel long enough to recognize all God has done in and through you this year? Those moments, accomplishments, relationships, and small victories are gifts from God meant to be enjoyed.

I’m not saying you can’t accomplish tasks over the summer or take on new projects. Of course you can, but somewhere in the middle of the planning, organizing, cleaning, preparing, and catching up, carve out time to simply do nothing. Step back for a moment and say, “It is good.” Enjoy what you’ve accomplished before rushing ahead to the next to-do list.

Enjoy your summer!

Even so, I have noticed one thing, at least, that is good. It is good for people to eat, drink, and enjoy their work under the sun during the short life God has given them, and to accept their lot in life.  And it is a good thing to receive wealth from God and the good health to enjoy it. To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life—this is indeed a gift from God.  God keeps such people so busy enjoying life that they take no time to brood over the past. Ecclesiastes 5:18-20

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