Summer Goals
In case you’re not aware, I’m a super-Type-A planner and over-thinker. I keep a paper calendar on my desk, a digital calendar in my phone, and a dry erase calendar on our fridge. And usually, every single little calendar square for every single day is filled up with events and appointments. And because most of those events and appointments require advance prep, I’m constantly thinking ahead.
What does this afternoon look like?
Who has to be where, when?
What deadlines do I have this week?
What little things do I need to accomplish today in order to be ready for tomorrow?
It never ends. Most of the time, my mental prep is helpful. It keeps me (us!) ready and on track. Without it, I’m pretty certain we’d arrive embarrassingly late (if at all!) to everything with somebody missing their pants or shoes or something. But as helpful as it is, I have to admit, the mental prep load is heavy. And continuous. And exhausting.
Though I’m not proposing a life without a calendar (or 3), I am ready to step back and relax a little. I’m currently reading a book by Annie Downs called That Sounds Fun, and it’s reminded me that summer offers the perfect opportunity to take a deep breath, relax, and slow down.
A few days ago, I wrote down a few simple summer goals. (No, this is not something I do yearly. I probably should, but I don’t. But in an effort to be more intentional…)
You’ll notice the goals are written like I’m talking to myself. (This is something I do often… talking to myself. Sometimes you just need some good advice! LOL!) Anyway, here we go. Back to it…. My summer goals:
S L O W down.
Pay attention to the in-between, not just the daily “destinations”
Relax! Smile! Have fun! Enjoy being home. For that matter, enjoy being wherever you are!
My summer goals aren’t super spiritual or deep or profound, but I’m honest enough to admit that these goals are going to take some work for me to achieve. (Which is kinda backwards, to think that slowing down takes intention and work, but such is life when you’re a Type A momma.) Since I’ve written these goals down, I’ve made myself re-read them each morning, just as a reminder as I start each day. So I was pleasantly surprised (but not really, because… #God) when my quiet time reading today was Psalm 37. Psalm 37, as a whole, contrasts the life of the righteous against the life of the wicked. But today, verse 3 in particular caught my attention:
Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. (Psalm 37:3)
Look at those verbs! Trust. Dwell. Enjoy. I realized these align perfectly with my summer goals, so I took some time to dig deeper into this passage.
“Trust in the Lord and do good.”
This seems pretty simple, but how often do we complicate life waaay past just trusting God and obeying Him? I may wear lots of hats and answer to many different names each day, but when I boil it all down, I really just have 1 job in life: love God and love others. That’s it.
“Dwell in the land”
I love that word dwell. It means to settle down and abide. To rest and relax. To bloom where you’re planted. To love your portion so much that there’s no room in your heart for discontent. If we can do that, everything else in life will be much more enjoyable.
“Enjoy safe pasture.”
Now this is an interesting phrase. The ESV puts it this way: “cultivate or befriend faithfulness.”
Let’s take this phrase in two parts.
First, The verb here, enjoy or cultivate, is the Hebrew word ra’a. It means to tend or shepherd a flock or to pasture a flock. To pasture - that’s an action (a verb), not a thing or place (a noun). The verb “to pasture a flock” includes the intentional actions of a shepherd to find a safe, restful spot for his flock, to lead them there, and then to protect them while they eat and rest. A pasture (the noun) is a place of abundance and safety and rest, but the act (verb) of pasturing a flock is definitely not passive. It’s active. So the first part of this phrase, whether you translate it enjoy or cultivate or befriend or pasture, denotes an intentional action that requires effort.
The second part of this phrase, “cultivate or befriend faithfulness,” is a bit more straightforward. The Hebrew word emuna used here means firmness, fidelity, steadfastness or steadiness. So this verse tells us to enjoy, cultivate, befriend, or pasture faithfulness so that our life and faith reflect a consistent pattern of steadiness, as if we were built on a rock. (Hmmm… seems like I’ve heard that somewhere before…)
So now put the pieces of verse 3 together… “Trust in the Lord and do good. Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness” When translated into Haileynese, it sounds something like this:
Settle in and live securely in Yahweh. Walk with complete confidence in His love and plan.
Rest, relax & enjoy what God has given you. Put down roots where He’s placed you.
And while you’re there, be steady. Be faithful. Let your life be marked by consistency, loyalty, and integrity.
Love God and love people with the same purpose and passion every day. Work to stay content and steady.
So now, I guess my summer goals are kinda spiritual. Maybe even super spiritual. Isn’t it cool how God is faithful to guide and mold our hearts to want the same things He wants for us? Funny how that works. Kinda reminds me of another verse, which happens to also be in Psalm 37:
“Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” (Psalm 37:4)
