Right now, we are all in the midst of preparing for summer.  A few weeks from now, our swimming pools will open and we will take a deep breath as school wraps up for the school year.   We will attend BBQ after BBQ, lather on tons of sunscreen, and schedule fun vacations and camping trips.  And maybe somewhere in the midst of all of that summer fun, we can squeeze in a little down time.

Last summer, my mom’s group decided to create a “dream board” of what we wanted our summers to look like.  This entailed cutting out pictures or words from magazines and pasting them upon a very special “dream board” paper.  It was our way of putting down a few goals for our summer so that, in the midst of the craziness, we were able to focus on those few things that we really wanted to accomplish.  Mine consisted of rest time: pictures of someone reading in a hammock, a woman curled up with her pillow sleeping, a beautiful mountain scenery.  The words and phrases that really spoke to me were things like “mom smarts,” “wisdom,” “dare to make mistakes,” “bring back the family fun,” and “pray.”  It was a wonderful way for me to focus the busy time of summer and really helped me to remember what was most important to me in the planning.

Have you ever taken time to vision?  What is most important for you and your life right now?  What are some of your personal goals?  Your family goals?  While you take some time to really focus, don’t forget to include God.  God has some mighty things set before you.  Pray and listen to what He has set before you and how He would like you to spend your time.  In Proverbs 19:21, it says “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”  Make sure to vision and dream so to be able to focus the time set before you, and most importantly make sure to invite God into the visioning!

Cody Anderson

Minister of Children and Families