It’s summer time! And if you’re like most people, you are excited about all this incredible season of the year has to offer. Nice weather. Vacations. Outdoor activities. There’s no question that these few months are ones to be enjoyed.
But have you ever found yourself getting off-track during this time of year? What I mean by that is that all those goals, disciplines and habits that you’ve successfully put into place seem to fall by the wayside during the summer. Somehow you get out of your normal routine, and without even thinking about it, you’ve allowed yourself to do things you previously avoided.
For example, you eat or spend more than you do at other times of the year. You’ve concluded that it’s time to live it up and enjoy life.
On the other hand, you don’t do things you have been doing. Things like exercising or even attending church seem to fall on the list of priorities as you conclude, “It’s just for the summer.”
Now, every good athlete knows there is no “off-season.” If they want to win at whatever sport they play, they know their “off-season” workouts are as important as the “in-season” ones. The “off-season” may look different, but that does not mean there is “no season.”
In other words, it’s OK that times of the year such as summer look different from other times of the year. What’s not OK is to allow summer to be a “no season” in the areas of our lives we’ve determined are important. As we approach fall, if we have taken that approach, what we’ll find is that there will be much to catch up on.
In Scripture, the apostle Paul said, “You were running a good race. Who cut in on you…” (Galatians 5:7a). Ask yourself this question, “What is causing me to get off track? Who or what has cut in on me?”
Maybe you were on course to achieving whatever it is you set out to do, but now you’re completely off-track. If your goals are important enough to you, you will let nothing and no one stand in your way.
Please know that I am not suggesting that you don’t take a break and enjoy the summer. Even race car drivers have to pull into the pits every once in a while. Baseball players get a seventh-inning stretch. But taking a break and taking the summer off are simply not the same thing.
Here’s my encouragement to you for summer 2019:
“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.” (1 Corinthians 9:24-27).
Think about where you want to be at the end of summer. Then ask yourself, “Based on my current plans, will I be ‘off-track’ or ‘on-track’?”
