Monday, July 20, 2009

Mid-Summer Checkpoint (Steve)

So July already more than half over, and in six weeks we'll be back at school. I don't know about you guys, but that blows my mind.

Upon realizing this, I wish I could say I was filled with excitement and enthusiasm in anticipation for the semester to come. Going over in my mind the plans that eboard has made, the courses I will be taking, my new house and housemates, I simply just can't wait to be back in glorious Binghamton. Absorbing the wisdom and knowledge of higher education. Reuniting with the closest of friends. Soaking in the beautiful summer sun on the softball fields. And above all, diving into the center of God's work on the campus through InterVarsity.

That's what I wish I could say. In all honesty, what I actually felt was nothing like that. Perhaps maybe the exact opposite. There was no excitement. When I realized that there was only 6 weeks left in the summer, I felt...blah.

There was a sense of confusion. Somehow, I didn't really believe that the summer is already more than half over. As if the mundane routine into which my summer has diminished blinded me from looking ahead, leaving me devoid of an accurate sense of time.

There was a sense of failure. I haven’t accomplished what I had hoped to this summer.

Upon realizing that summer had only 6 weeks left, I felt pretty crappy. I was disappointed in how the summer was going so far, and I wasn't excited to start the semester again in the fall.

And then I realized why.

It had been weeks since I've prayed. A real prayer, not a "Thank you God for the food" but an honest heart-to-heart talk with God.
It had been weeks since I've opened my Bible. And read it. Aside from the Scripture readings at church on Sundays.
Even on Sundays, worship has felt empty.

I've allowed myself to drift away from God, even for the span of just a few weeks. I've allowed myself to become lazy, spending way too much time playing video games. I've succumbed to the lies that Satan has been feeding me, and have lost sight of the God who gives me life.

The truth is, we are most vulnerable during the summer, and Satan hits us hard. The summer gives us a false sense of time, that we have so much of it, even when we're busy with jobs or classes or whatever. We become lazy. We become apathetic.

I don't know if you're in the same boat as me, but whatever boat you're in, remember God.
Remember the sacrifice that was made on the cross, and that He did it out of love.
Remember the new life that we have in Him.
Remember the desire he has to simply talk to us, to be in relationship with us.
Remember those who don't know Him, and how it breaks God's heart so deeply.
Remember that He has a plan for us, greater than any plan we can come up with for ourselves.
Remember that power He has to transform our lives for the better.
Remember the power He instills in us to be agents of change in the world we live in.

God never intended for us to lead a dull and mundane lifestyle.
There's enough time left this summer to turn things around if you need to.

Now I am starting to get excited. I can't wait to join with you all again in the fall, to dive headfirst into the work that God has prepared for us, and to continue living our lives in a manner that is worthy of the calling He has given us. Get ready. Before you know it, we’ll be back at school again.