5 Scriptures to Shape Your Summer

If you’re already feeling the summer burn out, take a few moments to let these verses shape your heart and mind for these sacred summer months.

As I write this, I am quickly approaching the end of the school year, and to be honest, I’m feeling a bit—worn out.

Being a public school teacher is always a job that requires much energy—physical, mental, and spiritual—but being a public school teacher this year? Forget about it.

And as I begin to see the light of the very fulfilling, but exhausting, tunnel of this school year, it’s tempting to look at the summer as a time to rest. A time of…nothingness. No, that’s not the right word. But, it’s tempting to see the summer break as my time. Which, when I really think about it, is quite the arrogant attitude. Nothing in this world is mine. It all belongs to my benevolent Heavenly Father. I am a mere steward.

When seen through that lens, the upcoming summer months take on a whole new holy weightiness. I want everything I do, in word and deed, to honor my Father. And especially as my children get older (my oldest will be a junior in high school next year!), I want to make sure I’m redeeming every moment to pour into them, invest in their hearts, and make memories together. So, I turned to the only true completely reliable source of advice—the Bible.

These verses are helping to shape my heart and mind for these sacred summer months. And whether your kids go to traditional school, homeschool, un-school, or somewhere in-between…whether you are a stay-at-home, work-from-home, or work-outside-the-home mom, I hope these verses will also encourage you. I pray that also helps shape your summer and inspires you to turn to the Word for any other nuggets of wisdom the Lord might have for you and your family.

So, I’d love to share with you 5 Verses to Shape Your Summer:

1. “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens,” Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NIV)

Whether you are at home with your children this summer or at work while they are with family, daycare, or day camps, this season has a purpose. And there is a time and place for “every activity under the heavens.” I don’t know about you, but after last summer, it is tempting to sign my kids up for quite literally “every activity under the heavens” in an effort to make up for lost time and reclaim some semblance of what we lost in the year that shall not be named. However, I know that would not be wise—for our bodies, or our wallets! So, this is my first prayer for this summer season: wisdom and discernment to know which activities are right for this summer season for our family.

2. “‘Imprint these words of mine on your hearts and minds, bind them as a sign on your hands, and let them be a symbol on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up,'” Deuteronomy 11:19 (CSB)

This past year has been marked by great loss for millions of families. Our own family in the last two months has experienced the loss of multiple friends and acquaintances, bringing into sharp relief the reminder that none of us are promised tomorrow. None of us are even promised the next minute to finish reading this post. So, it has driven home once again the absolute importance of making Christ the center of our home. This verse is another prayer for just that—and a reminder for me when I’m tempted to let Netflix babysit all day while I mindlessly scroll social media…again.

3. “‘I give you a new command: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you are also to love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples if you love one another,’” John 13:34-35 (CSB)

Oh, how I pray that my family and I are known for our love for others! Whether stuck in the slowest. check out. line. ever. at the grocery store, or that one kid who wants to come over and play again, I pray that every one my family encounters this summer will experience God’s love through us. And this prayer goes for how we treat those in our own household as well!

4. “I will both like down and sleep in peace, for you alone, Lord, make me live in safety,” Psalm 4:8. (CSB)

While I hope this summer is filled with fun activities, making memories, time with friends, etc., I also want to prioritize true rest for all of us this summer and find a healthy balance between activity and quiet. And sleep tends to be one of the first areas that get disrupted for my family when stress and/or anxiety hits, and after this crazy school year, this needs to be at the top of my list this summer.

5. “Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality,” Romans 12:9-13 (NIV)

I actually considered just using this one passage instead of 5 separate verses, but it’s so hard to choose among them all! I love this passage because I feel like it’s the umbrella that the previous four sit under. I pray that I would view each day of our summer through the lens and attitudes found in Romans 12:9-13. If we allow the Spirit to accomplish each of those things in our own hearts, in our households, and through us as we interact with all those we come across, can you imagine how this world would change? How we would change?

I pray these verses were encouraging and inspiring for you! Do any other spring to mind?

The Ultimate Better Mom Guide to a Fun and Stress-Free Summer With Kids

God has placed a high-calling on moms’ lives as we raise children who will impact the world, take care of our homes, love our husbands, and ultimately honor God with our lives. 

Together, we can use this summer to gather our families, grow close to one another as we grow closer to God, and give the best of who we are to our families.

Check out our Better Mom Guide for fresh inspiration to make the most of summer with your kids!