CONNECTED!
Cure End-of-Summer Blues
By Stacie Ruth Stoelting
Guest Columnist
CBN.com –
Cicadas shout at me in the night. My area is experiencing a deafening cicada boom! The cicadas seem to yell like a unified crowd of vibrating, hissing sports fans of the insect world. (I know I may sound crazy, but I can’t think of a better way to describe it!) Even with my doors and windows closed, I can still hear the wild multitude. As they get louder and louder, it reminds me that summer will soon be over.
Awareness slams us: Summer really will be over soon! With each day, our end-of-summer blues darken from baby blue to dark navy. In fact, during this time, almost every conversation captures a universal lament: a casual, modern “ode to summer.”
Let’s pretend that you and I are having a great visit on the phone. I’d guess that we would eventually include the end-of-summer script. But please don’t say it. Give me the pleasure of reciting the end-of-summer lament: “I can’t believe that summer’s almost over! Where’d the time go?”
Now, it’s time for us to sigh, right? After all, when one of my friends in a group recites the slogan, we all sigh in response. We tip our heads to the side, as if in mourning for the summer season. We look down. We frown. (I’m sure your friends react similarly.)
Yes, it’s sad. But it makes me wonder: How do we recover from this pathetic condition? Do we wait for a pill to counter the end-of-summer blues? Do we hope for a dramatic climactic change to lengthen summer? Do we decide to move to the tropics where summer indefinitely thrives? What are we to do?!
Instead of sitting and sighing, let’s move on. It’s not so bad! Let’s focus on some positives of seasonal transition.
Though it sounds dramatic, we must remember this: Just because the summer ends doesn’t mean our fun times end, too. Ecclesiastes 3 starts with a verse to remind us that “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven…” There is a time to every purpose. (A purpose fills even our times of transition.)
Here are some helpful cures for our end-of-summer blues:
- When we put on our new fall clothes, let’s remember to clothe ourselves with Jesus Christ and His characteristics. That way, we’ll have the ultimate attitude towards life! The best attitude to put on is to clothe our souls with Jesus and His characteristics! We need to be careful not to sway into satisfying our own unhealthy hunger for more “things.” Instead, we need to stay in close contact with Jesus Christ. In fact, God said, “But clothe yourself with the Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah), and make no provision for [indulging] the flesh [put a stop to thinking about the evil cravings of your physical nature] to [gratify its] desires (lusts)” (Romans 13:14, Amplified). When we follow what God says, we have the most joy and incredible satisfaction!
- Side Note for Students: Some of us look forward to the start of school. Others, who dread it, look forward to school breaks. Regardless, we can always improve our attitudes. School gives us opportunities to improve ourselves and equip ourselves to help other people. (If the summer heat lasted forever, we’d bake in boredom.)
- Let’s focus on some positives about fall! (Read God’s instructions on how to think positively by clicking here.) After all, autumn includes fun things, too. We can thank God for fall’s fantastic foods (Thanksgiving is coming!), holidays, times with friends, special fruits that come into season, gorgeous trees with colorful leaves, and family gatherings.
- Instead of mourning summer, let’s celebrate the beginning of a season. Even now, we can fill up on Jesus’ joy by helping people! When we serve God and obey Him about helping people, we experience joy. God is the joy-Giver! Christians can join David (the psalmist) and say to God, “You have put more joy and rejoicing in my heart than [they know] when their wheat and new wine have yielded abundantly” (Psalm 4:7, Amplified). That means that our joy is greater than anything our culture can offer! Opportunities to serve God and help people don’t fade with summer. The beauty of it is that opportunities never decrease! We can volunteer at nursing homes, host harvest parties, help out at soup kitchens, serve Thanksgiving dinners for the homeless, brighten lives of needy children by donating school supplies, etc. (The list could be endless!)
It’s time to map out goals for fall! If we don’t plan now, we automatically sign up for a depressing, boring season. God wants us to make the most of our time: “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is” (Ephesians 5:13-15, Amplified). Let’s be adventuresome and try out new activities only available during the season. (Or eliminate activities that are more draining than filling.)
On a much lighter note, the end of the summer season won’t be so hard for me. I almost anticipate it. Yes, I look forward to the end of summer. Why? Well, the end of summer means quiet… the silencing of the cicadas!! (Just kidding! I don’t mind the cicadas that much!)
Now, seriously, if we can apply these tips, we will be prepared. We’ll be ready the next time someone sinks into the end-of-summer blues. We’ll be able to respond to the end-of-summer complaint with something like, “Yeah, summer’s almost over. But I have awesome plans for the fall!” I’m willing to guess that your friends will sit up straighter, raise their eyebrows, and ask about why you’re excited!
It’s a great way to follow what God’s Word says, “Do everything readily and cheerfully—no bickering, no second-guessing allowed! Go out into the world uncorrupted, a breath of fresh air in this squalid and polluted society. Provide people with a glimpse of good living and of the living God. Carry the light-giving Message into the night so I'll have good cause to be proud of you on the day that Christ returns” (Philippians 2:14, The Message).
Keep a cheerful attitude. For believers in Jesus, joy never goes out of season!
Note from the Author:
Connected! isn’t a typical monthly column. Think of it as an e-mail. Feel free to reply. Reply to: stacieruth@brightlightministry.com. After all, I want to be a friend and introduce you to my Best Friend, Jesus Christ. We’ll cover issues relevant to our generation. Most of all, we’ll connect with Christ. If you don’t know how to connect with Him yet, click here.
 Stacie Ruth Stoelting and Bright Light Ministry share how to have victory over tragedies and trials. At 22, she already has experience: At 15, Stacie Ruth wrote Still Holding Hands: Bonus Tips for Caregivers & Tips for Helping Families Facing Alzheimer’s, depicting her grandparents’ romance, and victory over Alzheimer’s. Celebrities (i.e. Pat Robertson) endorsed it and/or Bright Light Ministry. At 20, she sang for President Bush. In dramatic programs for all ages, she speaks, acts, sings and entertainingly inspires. Now, she is writing books for teens (e.g. Catching Faith Stealers in the Act). Visit www.brightlightministry.com.
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