Do you remember what summer felt like when you were a kid?
The days seemed endless. There were bikes to ride, sprinklers to run through, popsicles to eat, books to read, and just enough boredom to spark creativity. Summer felt spacious. It was a time to linger outside until the lighting bugs came out and to lay in the grass to see what the clouds looked like.
So, let me ask: How is your summer going? Have you found moments to breathe? To laugh? To linger over dinner with people you love? Have you watched a sunset or read a book just because you wanted to? Because somewhere along the way, many of us traded the spaciousness of summer for productivity. Instead of asking, “What adventure should we have today?” we ask, “What can we finally cross off the list?” Summer becomes construction season, landscaping season, vacation planning season, catch-up-on-everything season. And before we know it, August arrives, and we’re left wondering where the summer went.
Of course, there are good, necessary reasons for all of it. Homes need repairs, gardens need tending, kids need rides to activities…our calendars fill quickly. And there is joy and a “good tired” found in caring for the people and places we’ve been entrusted with. But I wonder if, in all our doing, we might also schedule some time for simply being…with God…and with one another. In fact, when Jesus invites us to come to God as children, I think he’s inviting us to recover something children know instinctively…how to be present. That kind of presence is one of the things I find so beautifully relatable about Jesus’ ministry. So much of it happened in the ordinary moments of life… around dinner tables… walking dusty roads… at weddings and neighborhood gatherings. Jesus certainly taught and served large crowds, but he also knew the importance of slowing down to share a meal or enjoy the company of friends.
As a church, we want to help each other find those slow down opportunities, because we know that, sometimes, if we don’t have something to put on the calendar things can get in the way. That’s why I’m looking forward to two opportunities coming up this summer. They’re opportunities to reclaim a little of a child-like summer…lingering over dinner, cheer together at a ballgame, playing in sprinklers, and simply enjoying one another’s company. On July 19, we’ll gather at Moore Park Spray ground for our Grace, Gather, Grow: Summer Splash! We’ll share a sub sandwich dinner, watch the young (and young at heart!) splash in the water, and enjoy the gift of simply being together. Then, on August 21, we’ll gather at the Kane County Cougars game for a fun evening at the ballpark. Neither event is meant to be one more thing to accomplish. If you can come, great! If not, we hope to see you next time. These are simply invitations to schedule a moment to slow down, be together, and enjoy time with each other…the things that make UMCG feel like home.
If your summer has felt busy, you’re not alone. If your to-do list is still perennial, I’m right there with you. But if you’re longing for a little more connection, a little more joy, or simply an excuse to pause, I hope you’ll join us. There’s still plenty of summer left to take a moment for presence over productivity, even if only for an evening.
My prayer for you is not that you accomplish everything on your list before school begins, though if that happens, awesome! My prayer is that somewhere in these remaining weeks, you’ll find moments that remind you what summer felt like as a child…moments of wonder, laughter, rest, and connection. Because those moments aren’t just good for us. They’re good for our souls.