For many of us, the summer brings about a very different pace of life. For some, it is a time of rest and rejuvenation as the pace of work or of school slows down. We might have the opportunity to travel with family or friends and enjoy time with loved ones. For others, perhaps the summer is busy – kids are home from school, summer sports and camps pick up. By the end of summer, you might actually be ready for the summer to end!! But whatever direction it may go, summer often brings about a newness and a difference. The rhythm of the rest of the year is changed, and we have to adjust to a new pace.
No matter how many times we go through this change, times of transition can often present challenges, particularly in our spiritual life. The new pace often makes it harder to stay committed to our routine of prayer and worship that may come more naturally during the rest of the year. Especially after the routine and the intensity of Lent, many of us may be tempted to “take a break” spiritually as we finish our Lenten practices. This “summer fade,” so to speak, is something that can impact many people and can be quite discouraging, especially after what might have been a very fruitful Lenten season. A “summer spirituality” can help us guard against the summer fade so that we can best enter into this new season of the year.
The simple awareness of this reality can help to encourage us whenever we find ourselves in the fade. Entering into the summer knowing that it will feel very different than the season of Lent, for example, helps us to prepare well for it. It’s normal for our spiritual life to go through seasons just as our lives go through many different seasons. The spiritual life of a teenager will look very different from the spiritual life of a new mother, which will look different than the spiritual life of someone who is newly retired. It’s O.K. that our spiritual life looks different as we go through different seasons of life, even different seasons of the year. We can be confident in the fact that God is always going to be with us, no matter what. The key is being intentional about seeing how God is with me, because I can be sure that he is. In the midst of travel or of sporting events or in times of leisure, God still has a desire to draw closer, to love us more deeply and more completely.
One practical way to help us guard against the “summer fade” is a simple interior check-in every week or even every day. Taking the time to ask myself “How am I with the Lord?” can help us to recognize the fade more quickly and take appropriate action to keep ourselves on track. And the quicker we recognize it, the easier it is to refocus and re-center. It’s like a snowball rolling down the side of a mountain: At the top, we can stop it very easily with just a finger. But if we wait longer at the bottom, it grows and grows and becomes much harder to stop. In the same way, the quicker we recognize our interior fading, the easier it will be for us to refocus and see how God is inviting us to seek him more fully. When I have a hard day, and I don’t examine what’s going on inside, it is easy to feel more and more discouraged and exhausted because many times, I don’t realize what is going on as I fade. But when I have a hard day and take that time to “check-in” interiorly, rather than being discouraged and tempted to abandon my spiritual practices, I can recognize the temptation for what it is, see God’s love for me still present, and re-commit to seeking him with a renewed fervor tomorrow.
God has great desires for each one of us as we enter into the summer months. It does not have to be a time where we fade, but can be a time of great renewal and of great spiritual growth. Whether the summer brings with it a slower pace or a faster pace, I invite us all to renew our commitment to be with the Lord in the midst of it. May God bless you and keep you safe as we enter into this season together.