school's out,
clock out, chill out!
How is it July already? We’re in the final weeks of the academic year, and summer holidays are just around the corner! I don’t know about you, but even now, as an adult, I get that ‘end of year’ feeling before the holidays begin. The excitement. The relief. The anticipation of sunshine, flip flops, and BBQs, knowing all too well that the unpredictability of our British weather may mean we’ve already had our ‘summer’ in June!
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The infamous 1978 film, Grease, epitomises that ‘summer lovin’ feeling. It’s the last day of high school… homework is flung into the air without a care, pupils are ecstatic, and of course, they get their singing voices out and celebrate with one crazy school carnival! (Oh, and Danny and Sandy fly off into the sky in the Grease Lightning car… as you do.) We might not have finished the year as dramatically as this when we were at school, but I’m pretty sure, once the bell rang, we were out those doors as quickly as possible, saying ‘see ya’ to school and ‘hiya’ to holidays! Then school was out of sight, out of mind.
What do we adults do now when ‘school’s out’ and we take time off over the summer? Is your out-of-office turned on and your brain switched off? Or perhaps your mind is doing over-time? Do we make space to chill out and recharge our batteries, or are we running on empty? Do we keep connected with God over the summer season, or do we clock out?
I'd like to share a few ideas to help you get re-energized this summer. With ways to chill out, without clocking out from God, while school’s out!
Chill Out?
And… relax… chill… chillax! Whether you have children and take annual leave in August, or are able to go away during term time, there’s something to be said about stopping the daily routine. Giving our body, mind and soul a breather from the busy-ness of everyday life is a necessity (after all, taking a Sabbath is one of the Ten Commandments!).
In my teaching days, people used to joke that teachers are part-timers, only working 9-3pm and having such long holidays! In all honestly, the summer break was definitely a perk, but was well needed after all the over-time… leaving work at 3pm was non-existent.
One of my favourite tasks as an early years teacher was creating role-play areas for children to enjoy and let their imaginations run wild. At one point, I transformed a store room (a.k.a. dumping ground) into the ‘Chill Out Zone’. My nursery nurse and I decorated the room with glow-in-the-dark stars, torches, a special tent full of cushions, closed curtains, relaxing music, and a selection of sensory toys – all to help children ‘chill out’ from their busy lives as 3 and 4-year-olds! (Okay, so some didn’t quite cotton on to the chilled vibe, throwing cushions around and flashing torches in eyes, but the majority loved having space to chill!)
In Matthew 18:3, Jesus told his disciples, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” So, perhaps my nursery children and their Chill Out Zone have something to teach us grown-ups?!
I wonder if there’s an unspoken rule that if we want to feel good about ourselves (and look good to others), we have to overwork. Whether that’s housework, office work, church work, school work, volunteering work, or anything else. It’s become the trend – a trend that wasn’t started by God. In fact, God modelled rest as soon as he created us. After 6 days of creating the world, what did he do? Chilled out! Genesis 2:2 says
“By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work.”
I find it fascinating that after being created on the sixth day, Adam and Eve’s first full day on earth was God’s day of rest! I don’t think this is a co-incidence. God cleverly designed us humans to work out of our rest, not rest after burn-out from work. We need to create rhythms in our lives so that we work out of a place of rest. That starts with our weekly patterns, and then shapes the rhythm of our year too. (If you want a refreshing and challenging read about the importance of Sabbath, I recommend John Mark Comer’s ‘The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry’ book and course!)
So, say you’ve just started a week’s holiday to chill out. You’re lying on the beach, the waves crashing around you, ice cream in hand, novel in the other… and then your mind starts to wander… back to work… and all those emails or tasks you need to do on your return. (Or maybe on your phone tonight?) No time to rest, your mind is back at work already! As much as we might try, it can be hard to simply switch off. Just yesterday you were working, and today you… must… rest! So, what do you do to stop work stealing your attention? Here’s a few ideas that might help…
Chill Out Checklist:
1. Book out a whole two weeks to help you properly chill out. I have found when I get to the end of a 1-week holiday, I’m only just starting to unwind when it’s time to pack up and get back to it!
2. If you have a work phone, leave it at home! Or if you use your personal phone for work, turn off email notifications. (If you know you’ll be tempted to look, uninstall the app!) Holiday time is precious. Time with family or friends or time to yourself is important. We need to value ourselves and those around us, prioritising chill out time before work.
3. If you need help switching off from work, tell someone! Get your family or friends to hold you to account if you start talking or doing ‘work’.
4. Take a journal/notepad with you, so that if you do find yourself anxious about work or just thinking too much, you can write down anything that comes to mind, and then leave it in your journal to sort out later. I find that once I’ve written down what’s on my mind, I feel so much more peaceful.
5. Stay connected to Father God – more on this below!
6. Finally, make time to do some fun activities and let this distract you from work! What energises or refreshes you? On a recent mini-break, my mind only wandered onto work-related thoughts a couple of times because I had so much fun on the beach, playing mini-golf, painting, eating ice-cream, reading my novel, and eating out with my husband… there really wasn’t a lot of space for work! Perhaps one or two of these ideas resonate with you? Is God highlighting something to try out this summer? Tell someone, so you don’t miss out on chilling out!
Clock Out?
Clocking out from work is important for our souls, for our connection with family and friends. BUT, having started to chill out on a relaxing 2-week holiday, or having a slower pace to life over the whole summer holidays, signing out of weekly routines can easily lead to clocking out from God too.
I love routines! I am a planner, and although I like the odd surprise here and there, I know that the way I’m wired means that I need to factor in time with God into routines – term time as well as holiday. I remember one Christmas break, a few years ago, where, on reflection, it felt like I was on a break from God. (Not quite the break Ross and Rachel from ‘Friends’ were on!)
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Lie-ins took the place of my Bible reading. Time with family (I’m quite the extrovert) meant I couldn’t wait to be with them – that’s no bad thing, but I subsequently forgot all about connecting with God too. I got to the end of the break having had maybe only a rushed moment or two with my Creator and King – the reason for the celebration! Reflecting on that has been an eye-opener and, since then, I have made a few changes to make sure I stay signed in to God on my breaks. I told my accountability partner, and made a plan with her to make sure that on holidays, before I leave my bedroom door, into the wonderful social world, I say hello to God, read my Bible and start the day with Him. She checked in with me, and because I’m a bit of a teacher’s pet, I knew this would be enough motivation to help me on my way! (Although I do like to mix things up, so in my recent holiday, I did some art with God each day, focussing on 1 John.)
 Remember, God is full of grace. He loves it when we stay signed into Him, but when we inevitably forget, clock out or don’t make space, Jesus forgives us, and we can start afresh. We don’t need to let our need for routine become legalistic – there’s so much grace! I love the story of Jonah. He took a break and clocked out from God when he chose to go the opposite direction from where God told him to go, Nineveh, but God had grace for him. (He kept him safe in the belly of a big fish!) Jonah realised the error of his ways and made amends. What I love here is that God never left Jonah, even though Jonah left God. This summer (and beyond), God will never leave you – whether you’re taking a holiday, serving on team at a Christian event, or working… God will never leave you.
‘Clocking in’ Checklist:
1. Give each day to God, daily asking Him to abide with you. ‘Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.’ (Mark 1:35)
2. Invite the Holy Spirit to fill you afresh and strengthen you each day. Sing a worship song (in the shower!) to start the day or simply chat with the Holy Spirit whilst brushing your teeth!
3. Declare Bible verses over yourself e.g.
‘This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.’ (Psalm 118:24);
‘Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.’ (Philippians 4:6)
‘Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.’ (Philippians 4:8).
4. Finally, have some fun with God! This summer, we can connect with God in different ways to our normal routine – so perhaps mix things up and try something new. Go to a café to journal; memorise a Psalm; listen to a podcast on a run; or change your normal quiet time into a loud time – have a praise party with the kids instead! Whatever you do this Summer, have some fun with God.
Another great way to have fun AND stay connected with Jesus over the summer is to join Him in mission. In Matthew 28, Jesus said:
The Great Commission isn’t bound by term dates or holiday plans – we can share Jesus whenever and wherever we go this summer! So here are some ideas to give you a head start…
1. Be available and tuned into the Holy Spirit – He may give you divine opportunities on the beach, in a café or on a night out to chat with someone about Jesus!
2. Go on a Holy Spirit adventure! Why not start your day, listening to the Holy Spirit, and see if He gives you a prophetic word - perhaps a message for someone you know or don't know!
3. What summer routines do you have? Try including prayer for 5 friends in these routines. E.g. pray whilst watering the garden, filling the paddling pool up, rubbing in sun cream etc. You could even make a walk to the shops an opportunity to pray - don't forget to pin where you pray using the Oikos Prayer App. Basically, make a prayer habit out of your summer habits!
4. The summer provides a great opportunity to get together with non-Christian friends. Whether for a BBQ, a water fight or a trip to the seaside – spend time building relationships and ask God to give you opportunities to share your faith.
5. If you've got time and like me, are a planner, organise some outreach events for your community. This is a perfect opportunity to give away the Hope for All magazine. And the great news is all you have to pay is postage and packaging!
6. This September is the launch of Hope 2324, a year of mission! So you could use the summer to read what it's about, sign up, invite your church to join in and get ready for God to move!
So, as we start July, and count down the days 'til school's out, let's prioritise time to chill out and not clock out from God! And as I clock out now, my prayer for you is that the Holy Spirit would show you what's next for you, that He would bless you, keep you and use you for God's glory and Kingdom. Amen.
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