Summer Newsletter

I love the summer time. I love BBQs and the smell of sunscreen and long daylight hours. When I was a teenager, I loved the freedom that summer brought: no studying! There was nothing weighing on me that I should be doing to be more productive. Now it feels like there is always something else I am worrying about. Somehow when I became an adult I worried more and exercised freedom less.

In the book of Matthew, Jesus tells his followers, "Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?" Just a few verses later he says, "...seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." (Matthew 6:26-27, 33, emphasis mine). We are given the tools to let go of our worry like we could when we were teenagers on summer break. We are told to seek Jesus!

This is my focus this summer, to worry less and seek Jesus more. I want to be present in the moment, free from worrying about my to-do list, knowing that park dates with my son and ice cream dates with students are more important. I pray that you also take time to recognize these moments as they happen for you and surrender your worry. We may not all get a summer break in the traditional sense, but we can learn a little from our teenagers and adopt the worry-free attitude that it brings.

Blessings,

Alicia