If your summer plans don’t “measure up”…

This summer, we were hoping to take the kids on a big exciting trip – New York, Washington D.C., and visiting family on the East Coast. We had spent the last few years really excited about this trip, dreaming up some fun plans.

But life happened, as it does, and it turns out that sending the kids back to school also means there are no extra funds for traveling. We’re home all summer instead, and as I’ve made my peace with that, the Lord’s been teaching me a few things.

Home is important, first of all. And how we live our days out here matters. Reading together and getting outside and inviting friends over for movie nights and having family adventures all over our city – these might not be BIG things, but they make memories of familiar activities that run deep.

And also, sometimes the small & simple things are the things that bring the most peace. All 4 of us really need rest this summer, and traveling – while fun! – is not always restful for us. But staying at home, coming up with fun things to do around our house and with local friends in our own city, sleeping in our own beds and eating our own healthy food – this will be restful. 

So, once again, the Lord’s plans are better than my own.

I wonder if you might be looking around on ​instagram​ or at church or in your own neighborhood, and feeling like your summer just might not measure up. Maybe you’re not going on any big trips, or your budget just doesn’t allow you to do all the things your neighbor does.

That’s okay. Your family isn’t going to remember how much money you spent or how many places you took them. They’re going to remember how their summer made them feel loved and stable and how they made memories playing cards and watching movies and finding their new favorite series of books.

And that, my friends, is nothing to feel badly about.

In my Bible study, in the books I’m reading, and somehow even on instagram (!) I keep coming across Colossians 1:17, which is one of my favorite verses. It goes like this: “He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.”

I know I’ve talked about this verse before – probably multiple times – because I love it so much. But It just keeps hitting home with me. Even when my plans are a total flop – something that’s happened multiple times this year, actually – I can rest knowing that Christ is still before all things, still going before me and making my path straight. Even when I am disappointed with the way things are turning out, I can trust that He is the one holding everything together– for His glory and my good.

As I get older, this refrain keeps growing louder and louder in my life – that I am not in control, and that’s a good thing. He is in control, and that’s a great thing. I can trust in the Lord who created and sustains not only me, but this entire world.

So if you, too, are grappling with some disappointment this summer, I hope this verse can encourage you, too. No matter the circumstance, Jesus goes before you, and he holds all things together. You can trust and rest in Him!

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P.S. Even if you don’t have BIG plans this summer, you can still make FUN plans! Make sure you’ve downloaded our super-helpful, totally free ​Summer Planning Pack​. It’s got a ton of great ideas and suggestions for your summer – including a simple workbook to help you figure out exactly what you want to focus on this summer. We’ve even gotten emails from people who have downloaded it, asking if we’re SURE we weren’t charging for it! It’s that good.