Summer promises rest, but without a little rhythm, rest can become drift. The soul needs spaciousness. It also needs anchors.
The slower mornings, looser schedules, porch-swing evenings, and barefoot afternoons all feel like gifts…and they are. Yet, without some kind of rhythm, summer’s spaciousness can become drift. What begins as refreshment can turn into distraction, disorientation, and spiritual dryness.
Summertime refreshes. It washes over our schedule-stretched souls, inviting playfulness to drift in and new rhythms to unfold. Bare feet pirouette on sandy shores. Skipping stones, grilling fresh-caught trout, and humming along with cicada choruses restore weary bodies, minds, and spirits. Wonder wafts through the air.
Swallows dive for insects. Tiny lizards scurry across hot pavement. Stargazing replaces studying science textbooks. Magnolia trees drop heavily perfumed white petals, and Spanish moss sways in the evening breeze. If you blink, you might miss the fencepost being swallowed by kudzu or honeysuckle vines here in the Deep South.
Supper consists of tomato sandwiches, fresh peaches, and corn on the cob dripping with melted butter. Picnics take place under the soft hum of the porch’s ceiling fan as humidity wraps around you like a thick blanket.
Our indoor lives become permeated with outdoor invitations. Listen closely, and you will hear the sound of porch swings creaking, a pile of cousins singing over one another, or congenial conversations between neighbors during night walks in the not-so-cool air.
When I was a child, we’d ride our bikes until the streetlights came on, hoping the ice cream truck would roll by or that some yard would have sprinklers we could run through to cool off. Air conditioning wasn’t a thing back then, so fans whirred as sweat dripped off our faces until we settled into bed, in uneasy alliance with the heat.
It all sounds idyllic, doesn’t it? Yet as much as summertime refreshes, it can also be draining.
Balancing Summer Freedom with Intentional Rhythms
Loosening schedules creates a sense of timelessness, which can be lovely yet disorienting.
In our kitchen, our sturdy microwave works perfectly, except for one feature. The clock has lost some of its LED segments, so it’s impossible to guess what time it is. I am not willing to toss a perfectly fine microwave just because it can’t tell time anymore. However, I have had to set up a tiny battery-powered clock in the kitchen so I can know exactly what time it is. Without some clue about the time, I can miss client appointments or burn what I’m cooking. That’s the downside of a sense of timelessness. How do you hold onto what we enjoy about summer’s freedom without being spiritually adrift?
When we bought this house four years ago, I discovered three blueberry bushes in the backyard. I imagined fresh blueberry muffins for summertime breakfasts. What I didn’t count on was that I wasn’t the only fan of blueberries; so were our feisty squirrels and our foraging birds. We battled over who could reach the ripe berries first: them or me.
After three summers of losing every skirmish, I am trying a new tactic: netting the bushes. Each bush has a netting bag with a zipper and a drawstring, yet it’s permeable enough to let light and water in. So far, not even our cleverest critter has breached the blueberry barrier. Protecting what matters requires diligence and sometimes ingenuity.
Listening for God’s Ideas of my Summer
What my summer needs is a way to savor its timelessness without losing its sense of rhythm. Instead of wrestling endlessly with small but persistent obstacles, how can I craft barriers that protect the good fun of summer’s free flow while still allowing flourishing amid a change of pace?
So, what does that look like as I consider how to shift gears to unearth wisdom for my spiritual life this summer?
I start by simply asking Jesus. I need His wisdom to discern what He envisions. I could toss aside thoughtfulness and simply go with the flow, but I know myself too well. I’ll fritter away the time months and lose ground.
I desire the delight of summer’s spaciousness, yet the point isn’t to simply float so carefreely that I end up in a riptide that draws me into danger. I need to hear from God how to stay tucked in close to Him.
Each of us converses with God in different ways. Spaces of silence allow my heart to settle into God’s presence. I listen to His suggestions. Sometimes that happens best when I have my Bible, journal, and a pen to capture thoughts we discuss. Other times, a quiet walk around the block alone or sitting under a tree in the yard helps me focus in. Gardening, washing dishes, or taking a shower often extends the conversation between God and me.
Before summer begins, I ask Jesus: What rhythm would help me stay close to You while receiving the gift of this season?
Discerning a Rhythm That Refreshes
Next, I consider my current state of heart by reviewing my Examens. I notice themes, patterns, and invitations that foster connection with God and my soul’s growth. What needs pruning? What needs pollination? What is budding? What has good roots? What is rotting? What’s full of weeds? What’s full of fruit?
God invites transformation. He longs to deepen our spiritual growth, either through expansion or deletion. Discernment provides the wisdom to notice how He is moving and how we respond. What draws me closer to Him? What diverts me from His presence? What does He want to pour out on me, and what does He want to uproot from within me? What is He singing over me in delight? What does He want me to release that keeps me distracted and far from His side?
This is not a once-and-done conversation. I need God to continually illuminate what I can’t see. Sometimes the thing that brings me joy is where God desires to ripen that goodness. Other times, my spirit needs refreshment because it is dry and weary from neglect or from overloads in my days. There are things God wants to refine. As our dialogue continues, I ask:
- What should I loosen?
- What should I protect?
- What should I return to daily?
I pay attention as I consecrate myself to His care, knowing He hears my desires, wrestlings, and questions.
I am His beloved. Together, we are discerning a summertime rhythm that refreshes rather than drains, grounds me in time and space, and creates wise barriers to avoid nibbling distractions.
God enjoys stirring up wonder, deep intimacy, and spiritual growth. Summer does not have to become a season of spiritual drift. With Jesus, it can become a season of spaciousness, discernment, and renewed delight.
How is He doing that in us as we enter summertime’s delightful ways? Let’s sit on the front porch as the summer sun sets and listen to His heart.
To add a bit of play to your summer, consider these resources:
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- Play as a Spiritual Discipline – engagement resource
- Play: Reclaiming Childlike Joy with God blog
- Behold Playfulness: Find Joy in Your Creative Writer’s Heart blog
