Staying Connected to God in the Summer

Summer holds the promise of carefree days, of vacations and time spent with family and friends, of barbecues and baseball games and concerts in the park.

Here in Minnesota, we pack as many activities into the warm weather months of June, July and August as we can, realizing that autumn and then the long cold and snowy months of winter will return all too soon. Nothing—not even endless road construction projects and mosquitoes the size of loons—keeps us from celebrating summer.

For many Minnesotans, summer means weekend trips to family lake cabins “Up North” or week-long stays at northwoods resorts. On Friday afternoons, roadways jam with traffic heading north out of the Twin Cities metro. I’m not part of that scenario, but for many, going to the lake writes through family history.

How about you? Do you follow summer traditions? Or do you welcome new adventures?

I admit that I am not the most adventuresome type. I’m not widely-traveled for many reasons. But that’s okay; I find ways to enjoy summer that fit my finances and need to explore new places, meet new people, and experience new things.

In all this talk about summer fun, I haven’t yet touched on keeping God in summer. It’s easy, in the busyness of these less-structured days, to place Bible study, prayer, worship and our overall spiritual well-being in second position. We choose lounging on the beach with a bestseller to nourishing our souls with the Word. We choose rising early to fish on a Sunday morning to attending worship services. We choose seeing a tourist attraction over engaging in faith activities.

There’s nothing wrong with embracing any of these ways to relax and enjoy life. God wants us to take time away from work and life’s daily stresses. But, in so doing, we need to also keep God present. Even while vacationing, we need to fit God into our days to nourish our souls.

I love that God created such a beautiful natural world. A walk across a spacious wind-swept prairie, a hike through tree-canopied woods or quiet time on the shore of a Minnesota lake fills me with a peace and calm that comes only from God. What a blessing to see His work in a fiery red sunset, waving prairie grasses, ripples of waves across a lake. What a blessing to feel His presence in a cool summer breeze, to hear His voice in birdsong, to taste His sweetness in a sun-ripened strawberry plucked from a berry patch, to smell the fragrance of God in a blooming rose.

As a photographer, I draw nearer to God’s creation via my camera. I notice the details, the light, the moments of beauty.

Summer overflows with God’s presence, if we choose to pause, notice, and embrace it. God never goes on vacation, leaving us alone to manage. He walks beside us whether at home or at the lake cabin or out exploring His beautiful world.

Tell me, how do you stay connected to God during the busy summer months?

Writer Audrey Kletscher Helbling’s summer plans include attending several family reunions, concerts in the park, day trips to pursue her passion for photography, and plenty of time outdoors. In August she’ll join a team of volunteers at her church’s Vacation Bible School as the VBS volunteer photographer.