Summers are very bittersweet times. On one hand we've got the freedom that comes from no school, a time of vacation, and the sense that next year we're a whole grade older. But on the other hand, we start to feel the loneliness when people are gone on vacation or working summer hours. We're done with the previous year, but can't quite start the new one yet. We're stuck. The question is, will you continue to stay stuck? Or will you do something extraordinary to grow you, strengthen you, and make you a different person than you were at the beginning of the summer?
On average, summer breaks are about 3 months. So much can happen in those 3 months. Think about coming back from summer break and seeing that one person who looks completely different. Can change only be on the outside? Or can we do something that can change who we are on the inside a well?
The answer is up to you. Influences from all around can affect you in all sorts of different ways. Some for the good and some for the bad.
Ecclesiastes 3 talks about a certain time for everything. I believe that one of the main purposes for summer break, whether it was intended this way or not, is that certain time for growth. It is a time to look back and reflect on the previous year. Laugh at the good times and learn from the bad. It also is a time to prepare for the season ahead. Each year is a new, fresh start to become the person you were meant to be.
"So I concluded there is nothing better than to be happy and enjoy ourselves as long as we can." (Ecclesiastes 3:12 NLT). No, this doesn't mean to go off, get drunk and do something stupid. We're not talking about pulling a YOLO. It just says to be happy. Sometime it's the most simple thing we can do, yet we make it so difficult. Even on your hardest day, there is a blessing to find joy in. I heard a quote once that says something along the lines of "But it's also true that not all of your bad days are bad all the time." (not the exact quote). It's true. Even on your hardest day, there is something to be joyful about. The strength that you gain in the times of growth comes from how you react to those bad days and what you do with those joyful times.
I'm about to start college, so I am definitely feeling this. I'm ready to get a start on my life and the next season God has for me, but I'm not there yet. But I'm also not in high school anymore. I'm stuck in the middle. Although its hard sometimes, I'm trying to spend as much time as I can with those around me because most of the people I hangout with will be gone within the next few weeks. While doing all of that, I'm trying to prepare for college as well.
If you're struggling with this same thing, I want you to know that you're not alone. Don't feel discouraged because you can't quite seem to connect with the world around you. Ecclesiastes 3, along with whatever else God has in mind for me to read, has definitely helped. And I know for a fact there are people around you who want to help and be there for you.
Don't face today alone. Tomorrow is a new day for a new start.
"And I know that whatever God does is final. Nothing can be added to it or taken from it. God’s purpose is that people should fear him." (Ecclesiastes 3:14 NLT)
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