Anxious About Rest: How to Let Go of Summer Break Pressure

I have some good news for you today. Regardless of what you may have heard, you don’t only have “18 summers” with your kids. You also don’t need to squeeze all the juice from your summer, or “make the most of it.”

I go a little nuts when I hear this kind of messaging, actually.

First, does anyone feel relaxed, joyful, and content about the summer ahead with that kind of pressure lurking in the background?

And anyway, here’s the deal:

It’s just not true about the whole “18 summers” thing…

Most of us have more than that with our kids. Many more. They just look different at different seasons of your life. And that’s just as God intended.

Here’s the truth: You have exactly as many summers as God intends for you.

(Also—and I’m whispering here so no one else hears me—you probably won’t savor every bit of your summer if you’re spending yours with kids. It’s just… the way things go.)

Ahem.

Instead, I invite you to answer a different question… a question that will make your summer feel instantly do-able and a lot more… I don’t know… summer-ish.

What will you be most glad you made time for this summer?

The easiest way to answer this is to imagine yourself sipping coffee with a friend in September. After catching up, you sigh a big sigh and say, “Man, I am so glad I made time for _______ this summer.”

What do you think you would say?

• Not “how can you squeeze every last drop out of this summer?”
• Not “how can you fit in ALL THE MEMORIES for your kids this summer?”
• Not “how can you do enough, be enough, for your kids this summer?”

No.

You know your kids best…

…and God has given you (nobody else!) the grace for whatever comes your way in the months ahead.

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