Beating the Mid-Summer Blues

It's been over 100 degrees here for about the past four days. I heard on the radio this morning that it's going to drop to 90 tomorrow and that might be the lowest temp we see for the rest of the month.

I think sometimes the dog days of summer are almost as difficult to deal with as a mom as the freezing cold, snowy days of winter. At least in the winter, we have school to take up part of the day.

When it gets this hot and humid, the girls don't want to go outside and even the pool is not an option when the sun is high in the sky. This fair-skinned family gets burnt way too quickly to hit the pool before late afternoon. That leaves some long days to fill.

Some days, my inclination is to turn on the TV or Wii and let the kids watch or play. Other days, we work together on some project around the house. By this time in the summer, we're all starting to get tired of spending every waking moment together. The girls are tired of each other and me, and, to be honest, I have days when I'm tired of them.

These are the moments when we need to shake things up with our kids. It's easy to get in a rut during the hot days of summer. It's tempting to simply let teachable moments with your kids slip by because it takes effort.

This is the time of year when I need a renewed sense of purpose. I need to beat those mid-summer blues that keep me from being an effective mom to my kids.

God doesn't want us to just go through the motions. He wants us to be on fire for Him. Revelaton 3:15-16 says "I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth."

I want to have a hot heart for God, yet here, in the midst of the hottest days of the summer, I find myself lukewarm. Stymied by the demands of everything in my life, I give up my time with God, and I pass on opportunities to share His love and wisdom with my kids.

If you find yourself in a similar spot, try something different. I find that shaking up our schedule and our focus will often shake me out of my funk.

• Make a new plan. Spend some time thinking about the things you want to concentrate on with your children. What character qualities do you want to focus on with them? What do you want them to know about God? Then, find a fun, creative way to share those things with them. I often find when I'm planning something for my kids, God uses that time to speak to me, too.
• Re-examine the schedule. If you're having trouble finding time to spend with God on a regular basis, then try a new time. See if there are moments in your day that you can reclaim to spend with God. You may need to rearrange a few things and reset some expectations in your household, but if you're not finding time to be filled up by God, you won't have much to pass on to your children.
• Get out of the house and look for everyday opportunities to share God with your kids. Whether its a trip to the pool, the mall, the zoo, an amusement park or a local play space, there are plenty of opportunities to share God's perspective on life with your kids. You can talk about the water of life at the pool, God's provision at the mall, creation at the zoo, fear at the amusement park and abundant life at your local play space.
• Hook up with some friends. Sometimes our frustration with our children, and their frustration with each other simply comes from spending too much time together. Adding some other children (and a mom for you to talk with) adds some perspective to your entire family's life. It adds some new adventure and excitement to the day and leaves you feeling refreshed.

So, in the midst of the heat and humidity of these long summer days, don't get discouraged. Make time to let God fill you up and reclaim your focus on sharing his love with your kids. Do one thing today that shakes up your routine and lets you refocus on God.

Lukewarm Fans

Like I told you yesterday, we spent yesterday afternoon at the Royals Opening Day. My girls were super surprised and thrilled to get to play hooky to go to the game. My dad and I were like little kids because neither of us had ever been to an Opening Day ballgame before.

The weather stunk. It was cold and drizzly. We watched the game wrapped in blankets. The Royals had moments where they made the Bad News Bears look like a good baseball team (how bad do you have to be in the field to let a player get to third base on a bunt?)

But the thing that struck me the most was the lack of passion in from the fans in the stands. The stadium was half empty, despite being "officially" sold out. Many fans looked out the window and simply decided not to show up. By the fifth inning, half the fans that did show up had left, and the score was only 2-0. By the end of the game, there were probably only a couple thousand fans left.

I grew up in Boston and Chicago, and I am a passionate Red Sox fan. Royals fans puzzle me. They only want to watch their team if it's going to win. I lived in Boston during the years before the Red Sox had won a World Series. Fans of the Red Sox went to games and cheered on their team no matter how bad it was. They always believed that this was the year their team would break its nearly century-long drought of winning the World Series. So, the fairweatherness of Royals fans is not something I understand.

Sitting at the game yesterday, I was reminded of Revelation 3:15-16 "I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth." God doesn't want us to be like Royals fans, who are decidedly lukewarm about their team. He wants us to be like Red Sox fans -- passionate.

Lukewarm Christ-followers are those that say they believe in Jesus, but they are not passionate about following Him. When tough times come, they fall away. Satan likes nothing better than a lukewarm Christ-follower because they are not effective. Others don't see Christ in a lukewarm follower. What they see is a what people see when they see some Royals fans -- someone who doesn't care much but who will show up if all the conditions are right.

We want to be like those fans who showed up in their cold weather gear yesterday. Wrapped in blankets with hot chocolate on their hands, they stayed to the bitter end and cheered on their team as they tried to rally in the 8th and 9th innings. God wants us to have a hot heart for Him. He wants others to see our passion for Him and be drawn in by that passion.

When we are passionate about God and what He is doing, it's easier for God to use us. When God calls, we will follow. If someone offers me a chance to go see the Red Sox play, I'll do whatever it takes to rearrange my schedule so I can go. When God calls, if we are passionate about Him, we will do whatever it takes to follow where He leads -- even if it means making some difficult choices.

Revelation 3:16 says that God will spit the lukewarm Christ-followers out of His mouth. God wants us to whole-heartedly follow after Him. He wants us to show up to serve Him even when the circumstances aren't perfect -- even when they make us uncomfortable. It's not always easy but it is always worth it.