Soak It All In
What comes to mind when you think of summer? Maybe it’s leisurely days with a little shade and a long list of books that you can’t wait to lose yourself in. Perhaps you envision sun-kissed skin and weekend getaways. Or maybe it’s letting the kids run through the sprinkler and allowing them to indulge in melty, messy popsicles with abandon in the backyard. The idea of summer is so alluring … but all those sweet, sunshiny moments are bookended by the ins and outs of everyday life.
I wish I could pause all of the outside demands and distractions and soak up every single second of summer, but that’s just not reality. And yet, that’s exactly what I feel pressured to do every year. I know I’ll feel guilty if by the end of July, our family has only been to the pool or a local beach once or twice. (But I really want to set aside some weekends this summer to get house projects done too.) I’ll feel guilty that we didn’t visit all of the kids’ favorite parks on my days off. (But I know I’ll have so much extra laundry to catch up on with everyone at home.) Unfortunately the start of summer does not mean a stop to the rest of our busy lives, so it’s just not possible to soak it all in.
Kids on their way off to college should soak up their newfound freedom now before “real life” starts and responsibilities set in. Newlyweds need to soak in the honeymoon phase while their marriage has known nothing but overwhelming love. First-time mothers are told to soak up every second of those sweet baby snuggles.
From the magic of summer to those beautiful phases in life when everything is special and new, there are plenty of sunshiny moments. And those euphoric snapshots in time should be soaked up for everything that they are. But not everything surrounding those moments is all sunshine and rainbows, and that can cloud those “perfect” moments themselves. Sometimes it’s busyness or the extra demands of motherhood or jobs or other commitments that stop us from appreciating it all. Other times, sin will find a way to cast a shadow over those joyous seasons of life.
As parents, those “lazy” summer days somehow turn out to be so much work and we can find ourselves resentful of the workload parenthood entails. Every. Single. Day.
The devil can whisper temptations into the ears of those kids out on their own for the first time and turn that newfound freedom into a string of bad decisions.
Sin can attack newlywed bliss with endless decisions on how to meld two different lifestyles into one. And those decisions can spur arguments.
Sin can sneak into a new mother’s exhausted mind as she catches herself pining for the days before that sweet baby, back when she had full nights of sleep.
Sunshiny moments don’t stand alone. Even if you’ve built those moments up as “perfect,” they’re not. Nothing in this world can be. So …
Soak it all in.
Soak in those beautiful, blissful moments right along with everything surrounding them. Reflect on the entire reel, not just the snapshot.
God has gifted us so many blessings. But the not-so-perfect, everyday ups and downs that inevitably accompany those blessings … they serve a higher purpose. They may not be the sunshiny moments you long for, but they shine a light on God’s Son and our desperate need for Him.
My frustrations with summer plans gone awry, sin-filled kids, and mundane tasks that still need doing show me how much I need my Savior. The comparison game that I like to play (when I see how other parents are doing summer “right”) should point me to the cross, not to my own perceived failures.
“Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.
Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.” Psalm 51:1-2
My need for my Savior is so apparent, especially when I stop to reflect on everything. From the big hot-tempered blowouts down to the quick and fleeting sins of judgement and comparison while scrolling through Facebook, my soul should be damned to hell. But it’s not …
Soak it all in.
Soak in just how great Jesus’ sacrifice was to save us from our petty sins. How many times have we read the Gospel accounts, celebrated Easter Sunday and listened to sermons detailing our Savior’s time on earth? We’ve been blessed with every opportunity and freedom to study God’s Word. And how many times have we taken that all for granted? Soak in everything that God has given you in this life and everything you can look forward to in the next.
“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die.’”
John 11:25-26
This summer will most likely be equal parts laughter, love, fun, tantrums, frustrations, and tears. But my God has given me more than I could possibly ask for. So I’m soaking it all in.