Taking Philosophy of Education Fall semester of this year sparked my love for philosophies. So far I have written my philosophy of life, philosophy of education, and philosophy of discipline. And now here I am developing my philosophy of summer. Many more philosophies to come.
Our culture says summer is “time off.” Time off from being responsible. Time off from discipline. Time off from prayer and spiritual growth. Time off from hard work. Time off from wise choices. It’s easy to convince myself that I am ENTITLED to a “break” from all things difficult. We are saturated with a culture that whispers, “You DESERVE to sleep all day, to eat whatever you want, to make any decisions you want, to do NOTHING with eternal significance etc.” We become irresponsible, lazy, and gluttonous but justify all of these as acceptable and expected because we “deserve” them. This time is for me. It’s my summer. I do what I want. Why does our culture entertain this idea and embrace its meaninglessness? Unfortunately, our culture is always focused on “me”. Life is about you as an individual and what you can do to be happy, comfortable, and at ease. But I am FREE from the bondage of this world. Romans 6:5-6 says, “ For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin…” (NASB).
I am accountable to Him for all the things I choose to do and don’t choose to do this summer. Everyday is a GIFT- an opportunity to love and a chance to bring glory to the Creator. Why have I dismissed summertime from this before? My view of summer began developing and being transformed two years ago while I was sitting in Lit & Arts II with Ms. Mellon (I mean Mrs. Ebersole). She was sharing her testimony during Missions Week, which in general I related to a lot and was really encouraged by. At one point she shared her journey to Nepal. She talked about her “ideal” summer plans previous to her 1st summer trip to Nepal- plain and simple- she wanted to spend the summer on the beach. But for SOME reason, she just couldn’t justify that in her mind anymore. She couldn’t sit on the beach when she could and should be serving God. When I first heard this, I was surprised and even offended because my OWN plans to sit on the beach all summer had just been disturbed. How could she insinuate that my own plan to just relax and treat myself to a break from serving God was wrong? I was so consumed in our culture’s view of personal entitlement that I couldn’t see God’s big picture. Yes, I desperately needed a break from schoolwork. And it is definitely a wonderful thing to enjoy the outdoors and a less insane schedule. But there is a HUGE difference between REST and LAZYNESS. God Himself rested on the seventh day. Jesus says in Matthew 11:28-29, “Come to me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest in your souls.” (NASB) But we are also called at ALL times to love God and love others. Ephesians 5:1-2 says, “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering.” (NIV).
This quote sums it up well:
“Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under the trees on a summer’s day, listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time.” ~Sir John Lubbock
So go enjoy EVERY DAY God has blessed you with and LOVE to the fullest. Carpe diem. Seize the day.
Very interesting!
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