Once again summer is upon us. It seems like just yesterday we were saying good-bye to summer and hello to a new school year. Now, in what seems to be the blink of an eye, another Texas summer has come. If you are anything like our family, summer is chock full of things to do before August comes: vacations, school shopping, and of course, time by the pool. While life is still busy, the summer seems to have a different pace than the rest of the year. It could be that I am having to slow down just so I don’t burst into flames from the heat. But I have told myself that this summer is going to be different than past summers in that I want more of three things. While I would wish they would be more Blue Bell ice cream, more lazy hours by the pool, or more fireworks on the 4th of July, what I want more of are actually things that help me to live a better life
The first thing I want more of this summer is positivity. Dictionary.com defines this as “the state or character of being positive.” I don’t want to just have a positive attitude in certain situations. No, I want my character to be positive no matter what happens. I want to be one of those people who always see the glass as not just half-full but overflowing even when things are tough. I recognize that this is easier said than done. However, I am going to keep two texts in my mind which will help me to have more positivity. Paul encourages us, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4). How can you not be positive when you are rejoicing always? Another text comes from the lips of Jesus and gives me hope: “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33). While challenges will come my way, I know that I can have positivity because Jesus has already won the victory and promises to get me through the most difficult of challenges. That’s why this summer, I aim to have more positivity.
The second thing I want more of this summer is margin. Richard Swenson in his book aptly titled Margin, demonstrates what this is: “Marginless is being thirty minutes late to the doctor’s office because you were twenty minutes late getting out of the bank because you were ten minutes late dropping the kids off at school because your car ran out of gas two blocks from the gas station-and you forgot your wallet.” Can you relate? I know I can. Swenson continues, “Margin, on the other hand, is having breath at the top of the staircase, money left at the end of the month, and sanity left at the end of adolescence.” It seems like our lives run at top speed. We have appointments here, errands there, and activities all around. It seems like we are running from the moment we get up in the morning until the moment we go to bed. The good news for us as Seventh-day Adventists is that we have accepted and understood the gift of the Sabbath which helps create twenty-four hours of margin in our lives. However, I don’t believe that God gave us the gift of the Sabbath just so we could have energy to overload the other six days. Throughout Scripture He invites us to have margin in our lives, not just so we don’t burn out, but so we can enjoy His Presence. “Be still and know I am God” says Psalm 37:7. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” affirms Matthew 11:28. These are not just good suggestions but are keys to our happiness. This summer, I see more margin in my life.
Thirdly, I want more thankfulness. I know the idea of thankfulness is usually reserved for November and not July but I am convinced that thankfulness should be something we have more of every day of the year. I hate to admit it, but the reason that I am not as thankful as I need to be is because I don’t have enough positivity and margin in my life. If I have more positivity and margin in my life, then I will experience more thankfulness. I will take the time to smell the roses and experience the wonderful blessings and gifts of God. The summer is a great time to experience more thankfulness because we are more focused on family, relaxation, and fun. When I take the time to not only have a thankful heart but to thank God for His blessings, I will begin to recognize more of His blessings in my life. So I want more thankfulness in my heart this summer.
I hope that you experience more in your life this summer. I especially hope that you experience more God in your life this summer because He has so much more to give you.
Originally published in the Summer 2015 issue of the Texas Conference Flame