Life seasons demand reflection. So before you let your tan (or burn) fade, sip the last drop of sweet iced tea, shop for school supplies, or break out the sweaters, take time to process and record what God taught you this summer.
And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this? Esther 4:14
God uses the seasons of our life to teach us more about Him. Just because our schedule changes does not mean our God does. Just because our work alters does not mean we should tune out God's work.
So what did God teach you through your summer camp, online classes, internship, babysitting gig, home-time with kids, or never-ending work grind?
Once you process, pray, and put into writing the past few months, share what you learned with others.
Why?
❤︎ Verbalizing God's lessons further engrains His truth into your mind, allowing it to seep into your daily walk.
❤︎ Reciting what God has done in your life fuels your worship. His acts of grace fill our hearts with gratitude, prompting us to praise His name with a genuine heart.
❤︎ Sharing God's work allows the Holy Spirit to encourage others through you. It may even encourage the recipient to share what God is doing in their life, further building you up.
So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding. Romans 14:19
That being said, here are a couple Truths God taught me this summer....
Don't let longing quench your desire to fully live.
The summer season brought desires that rooted themselves deep within my heart. These longings whispered lies in my heart, steered my feet in the wrong direction, and skewed my perspective.
Soon, my wants turned into "needs". I could not live each day to the fullest because my thoughts and heart were fixated on false gods. I could not love the people God put in my life well because I focused on myself. I could not do the good works God prepared for me to do each day because I was discontent with my situation. My whole being revolved around those things I did not have.
My distrust in God's plan, timing, and blessings made me an easy prey to sin. I found the less time I spent in the Word, thought about the things above, or meditated on God's love, the more likely I was to give into my flesh. Because I did not trust that God was good enough, wise enough, or loving enough, I was left empty when He did not meet my desires.
By grace, God shook me up. Through disappointment, He reminded me that, while He does fill us with longings to chase after, we must not let them replace our deepest need. God can say yes, no, or just wait and still be good.
Usually when God denies our wishes, he has something better for us just around the bend. To be honest, I have yet to discover what that something is.
But, through the impatience, I am learning to trust that God's "yes" is best.
Question even the most obvious truths.
For those of us who grew up in the church, we feel pretty confident in our Biblical knowledge. We have been prayed over, poured into, and preached at for most of our life. We have heard all the Christian lingo, theological terms, and Biblical jargon.
While I am beyond blessed to grow up in such a faith-growing environment, I am quick to believe any teaching thrown my way. I have always trusted the pastor's sermon or my Bible professor's theology. I made my parent's faith my own before growing my personal relationship with God. After hearing the same message taught over and over, the discernment part of my mind switched off. I thought I knew it all.
This summer, God taught me to ask questions. There are many Biblical terms and Christian phrases I grew up hearing that, if I truly thought about, I could not accurately define. I hear online podcasts and assume everything said is correct. I put my discerning mind on auto pilot.
I have become too familiar and too comfortable even with Biblical principles. Aspects of God's Truth, the Gospel, and Scripture do not impact me the way they should.
Spiritual Indigestion: The brain consumes gallons of spiritual food, but the soul does not digest it.
When I hear a common phrase, sing a popular lyric, read an Instagram quote, or hear a powerful one-liner, God is training me to really let the message sink in, compare it to scripture, and determine how it fits into my own life.
I am learning to ask simple questions like.....
Why?
What does that really mean for me?
What does this mean in light of my purpose/the Gospel?
Where can I find that in the Bible?
What does God say about that?
But we cannot answer those questions with our own understanding. The Spirit of God within us differentiates cultural wisdom and spiritual wisdom. He helps us interpret and apply God's Word. The Spirit knows God's thoughts and reveals His Truth to us.
Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. 1 Corinthians 2:12-13
We have spiritual wisdom because we, ourselves, are in the Spirit. Those not of the Spirit, deem spiritual wisdom as foolishness. Spiritual people judge the accuracy of all things because, through the God's Spirit living inside us, they have the very mind of Christ.
Praise God for the hard, yet life-giving Truths He teaches us. May our summer reflections lead us to the foot of the cross to praise our Savior and learn even more!
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