Finals are coming to a close and you finally can see the light! You get to step outside the library to experience sunshine again and take a deep breath because all the hard days and long nights were worth it. Now that you're done for the year, what's next? Most people go home and indulge in the luxuries of a full fridge and a comfy couch and others get right to work in hopes to fill their own fridge next semester. No matter the circumstance, my challenge to you is to use it wisely! The excuse, "I can't, I have to study," doesn't exist anymore! So for three glorious months, I encourage you to think twice about opening the computer to browse through all the social media lives you envy, press pause on "Grey’s Anatomy" before you get even more hooked, and go do something! Like New Years, summer is a time to reflect on who you've been and who you want to be. But, instead of starting the season with a 15 hour course load, you get to start with a break; a well deserved break for every college student! My hope for you is that you feel encouraged by what you have accomplished this year, and are embrace this gifted time in your life. The present is the ultimate present, so make the most of it!
So first, I encourage you to make goals and make them happen! As the spring showers pass, the summer sun is literally the light at the end of the tunnel. You've been waiting for it for months now, so don't let it pass without taking full advantage of it! We have all made the summer bucket list full of water park adventures, late nights with friends, and trips to the beach, but this time dig a little deeper on the to-do list. Add some things to it that will help you continue to discover yourself and stretch yourself. Use your summer freedom to find what makes you tick, and what makes smile, what makes you feel free, what makes you, you. Try something new to challenge you and find your inner kid that has a heart for fun. Don't pass up the ice cream truck when it comes through the neighborhood, run around the park barefoot kicking a ball around till the sun sets, or get crafty and dive into the water colors and paint whatever is on your mind. Find the passion in your life you so easily set aside during the school year as you rush from class to work to the library everyday.
Make friends and establish community! College is the perfect opportunity to surround yourself with people who are in the same stage of life as you but going through completely different walks of life. It is through a community that I found best friends and bridesmaids, mentors and mentees. Just think, when you graduate and begin working you will be thrown into a much broader community and connecting with people beyond the office is going to be a challenge. Take advantage of the opportunity to get close with people your age that you can encourage and be encouraged by, as well as someone to lean on through the ups and downs.
Finally, be still and experience Gods presence in your life. Use your free time to hang out with the One that has been waiting for you through it all. He’s heard every one of our "I'm too tired" or "I'm too busy excuses,” but that hasn’t pushed Him away in the slightest. The God of the universe has time for you specifically, with a desire to guide you through this life. Spend time with Him, tell Him about what you learned this semester, and tell Him how it made you feel. Ask Him about what is in store for you next semester and how you can follow Him to get there. And of course, listen. The easiest way to hear from Him is through His word. The more you get to know God, the more you will get to know yourself. It is through this that He will continue reveal the perfect plan for you that you so diligently dream of discovering.
As you slow down this summer, and do less, be open to being more. There is meaning in the meantime, and God wants to reveal that to you. Your future is in Gods hands, and your here-and-now is too. Summer will always be a season, but as a college student, the amount of summer breaks in our future is winding down. Don't start school again in August the same person you were when you finished in May. The more you take advantage of the summer sun, the brighter you will shine!
