There isn’t much else that strikes more fear into the hearts of moms and dads everywhere than summer being right around the corner and them not having a plan. Okay, not really, but all jokes aside summer IS in fact here and we at Kid Theology believe summer can be a wonderful gift to you and your children where tons of fun is had by all, proper rhythms of rest are implemented, and intentional discipleship is happening daily.
This is all possible with a little thoughtfulness, a lot of love, a simple plan of action (that we are going to take care of for you), and daily reminders that summer isn’t about you but rather God’s glory and the good of your family.
You need to have vision AND you need to give vision.
There is no doubt that parents need to have a vision for summer time just like we do for every other time of year. Vision is important and as the parent, you are the main vision setter for your family. In fact, vision is so important that the Bible says without it, “the people perish” (Proverbs 29:18).
This statement is to be viewed through a metaphorical lens and when we evaluate it as such, we can say that when vision does happen, human flourishing happens; people come alive! When vision doesn’t happen, people struggle to find purpose and value and we tend to become lesser versions of who God intends for us to be.
Do we want our families to flourish this summer or do we want to squander yet another marvelous opportunity to redeem something that we otherwise receive as culture sometimes deems we receive it (as a lazy, boring, unexciting, run-of-the-mill summer)?
But what is our vision supposed to be? Better yet, WHO is our vision supposed to be? Well, it’s really quite simple. Step number one to flourishing this summer as a family is to make Jesus your vision. He is the bullseye. If you don’t accomplish one of the many fun things you want to accomplish this summer, but make Jesus your aim, you have been successful. But I happen to also know that if Jesus is your vision, your family will experience more joy than you could ever imagine, no matter what you end up doing this summer.
If Jesus is your vision, the implementation of that vision likewise becomes a little less complicated. If everything is viewed through this lens, then your family isn’t working towards a selfish aim but one that is God-glorifying.
When this happens, all the pressure to have a perfect summer is taken off.
What if you walked into this summer with a simple plan of action that would do the work of taking the pressure off, freeing you up to truly do the things you desire to do with your kids, and enjoying so many moments of fun while at the same time taking advantage of the natural rhythms of rest?
This is all possible and it won’t take much effort from you. In fact, with a little extra effort and intentionality on the top end, your summer could end up feeling more effortless than ever with some easy plug and play action steps. Remember, a plan is most helpful if it is held in an open hand. Many people are scared of plans because of the pressure they put themselves under to stick to them perfectly. So have a plan, but be flexible in understanding that your plan may need to change.
Since knowing where to begin is sometimes the hardest part, we have broken it down into 4 categories:
- Daily Rhythms (Incorporating Jesus time, Fun time, Rest time, Learning time, and Exercise time)
- Bucket List (A list of 25-50 fun things you can accomplish with your family over the summer)
- Serving The Church, Neighborhood, And Community (Ways to keep the focus off of you and your family)
- Redeeming Family Vacations (Taking advantage of those potentially difficult family vacations)
If you can get your mind wrapped around these four big categories heading into the summer, the potential for a fruitful, fun, and God-glorifying summer is within your reach.
Be on the lookout over the next couple weeks as we throw some helpful posts your way, unpacking these four categories more, as well as possibly providing some free resources to help you get the most out of your summer.