Although something we may not consider is spiritual growth. I know when I was younger, I would attend different church camps every summer and come home on a spiritual high that quickly fizzles out. You may even go on a mission trip and come back transformed more than you could've ever imagined. In those cases spiritual growth is thriving, but I am more so focusing on those who have grown so much at college and go home to a darkness. At college, I have surrounded myself with a constant spiritual support system that challenges me to grow in my faith daily. As much as I love being at home with my family they do not challenge me like my college family does. It is not to blame on them because they aren't a bunch of college students who have understood my struggles the for past two years.

It is effortless to come home and fracture your faith. You so rapidly get into the routine to not read your bible every day and not to pray religiously like you do at college. Old skeletons of your past may even come back to haunt you while you're home and you may get caught up in that. I can recall my first summer back after college, I struggled daily and was overall miserable because I knew I was living my summer for myself. I challenge to not fall into that darkness in your faith that the summer so easily offers. Take this new found free time to read books of the Bible you never had time to dive into and seek to hear the Lord like never before. These overwhelming hot days are not the time to put the pause button on your spiritual growth, but in a sense a fast forward. I know it can be so easy to sit back and hid your faith, especially since all your new friends aren't there to encourage you. Most importantly don't let the boredom get to you or the endless hours spent working drain you. Find time to love your faith just like you did at college and let the Lord break you, so you come back next semester a new person ready to set the world on fire for Christ.

This may begin with opening up to your family that you're not the same person you were last year and that you want to share with them your depth of growth. You could possibly be that spiritual leader for your family because God has equipped you to take that capacity. Another option is mentoring to a group of teens in your hometown. It can be as simple as openly talk about Christ each week like a bible study or youth hang out. Also, God could be calling you to give your summer to him through missions, so be willing to listen and follow that calling no matter how crazy it could be in your mind. Besides you may not feel confident enough to be vulnerable about your faith yet,so that means this summer needs to be spent working on your heart through reaching out to your local pastor or someone that you look up to hold you accountable. Just don't wither please be willing to understand the importance of getting poured into.

This multitude of darkness is so very tempting, but it may have an everlasting impact on your relationship with Christ. Learn to love yourself through God's everlasting love, even through the dark times.