How to Savor Your Summer

Joy in Every Season

By Meghan Ryan Asbury

There is something about summer. Longer days. Sunshine. Slower schedules. There’s an invitation to live differently this time of year.

Growing up by the beach, my childhood consisted of boogie boarding all day in the Gulf and watching thunderstorms roll in, eating popsicles fresh from the ice cream truck, and only coming home once the sun went down.

Summertime feels like freedom, and even well into my adult life, I start anticipating summer as soon as March 1 rolls around. I long for the days of fun and no responsibilities, looking for ways to bring that childlike wonder into the season.

But summer never really looks like that as an adult, does it? It gets busy. Whether it’s because your kids are out of school or you’re attending seventeen weddings and other things that take up your nights and weekends, summer can feel a lot more tiring than the rest of the year. Even that vacation you desperately look forward to can end up being a lot more work and a lot less relaxing than you hoped.

A couple of weeks ago, I started to feel like summer was already over. The calendar for the next few months is looking full, and there is still so much I haven’t done that I wanted to this season. I was already dreading the shorter days and the return of cold weather. But before I got too crazy, this thought came to me:

Summer is supposed to be savored.

While I tried to grasp at time, slow down, and live in the moment, I felt a sort of invitation—a feeling that maybe, just maybe, there was a way to savor this season. And this wasn’t just about summer; it was deeper than that. What if there was a way to savor the season of life I’m in?

Much like the seasons change throughout the year, we all walk through different seasons of life. Some of us are in winter, when life feels quiet, maybe even lonely and dark. Or perhaps you’re in a spring season when life feels like it’s full of growth, or autumn when you are finally seeing the fruits of things you’ve worked for. No matter where you find yourself today, there is something you can savor about the season you are in.

But how do we do this? How do we not rush from one thing to the next? How do we find joy now without fearing what’s ahead?

When I asked myself those questions, I turned to the Bible and how Jesus lived. Even if faith feels distant or unfamiliar to you, I think we can all find beautiful examples of how to savor the seasons we are in:

1.     Slow Down.

As I’ve read through the Bible, I’ve noticed Jesus was never in a hurry. He retreated to be alone with God. He napped. He ate with friends. He accomplished his mission on earth but wasn’t in a rush. He didn’t try to fill his days to the brim; he left room for margin and to be interrupted along the way. Even when his disciples tried to add to his schedule, he didn’t let that distract from his pace or from what he set out to do. What is something in your schedule you can remove to make space for slowness and stillness?

2.     Stay Present.

Another thing that strikes me about Jesus is that he was fully present where he was. Whether it was talking to someone, healing someone, or praying alone, he did not think about being somewhere else. He knew what the future held and let that drive what he was doing, but he did not skip ahead. And he told his disciples not to worry about tomorrow but to focus on today. Instead of rushing ahead and looking at what’s coming, what if we just be present? We don’t constantly need things to look forward to and be excited about. We spend so much time looking down at our phones or gazing at the past, wishing things were like they were before, but if we stay present, we may not miss as many things. Try spending five minutes outside without your phone. Let the sun hit your face, take a deep breath, and remember you are alive.

3.     See the Good in Front of You.

Over and over in the Bible, we see a challenge to fix our eyes on good things. Like in Philippians 4:8—whatever is true and noble and right and pure and lovely and admirable and excellent and worthy of praise. God calls us to present our requests to Him with gratitude amid anxiousness (Philippians 4:6-7). When we fix our thoughts on the goodness of God and His grace, we can better savor where we are. What if today you wrote down one thing you were grateful for and watched how it changed your perspective?

What would it look like for you to savor this season? Soon, school will start, and vacations will end. But I don’t want either of us to miss the season right in front of us. I hope we all learn to love where we are, whether it’s summer, fall, winter, or spring.

Here’s a brief prayer for the moments you long to savor:

God, teach us to savor this season.

Show us how to slow down when we want to speed up.

Show us how to stay present when we want to skip ahead.

Show us how to see the good things right here, even when it’s easier to see the bad.

Show us how to surrender not just in this season but in the ones to come.

Amen

— V —

---

Meghan Ryan Asbury is an author and speaker who is passionate about helping people discover and live out their God-given callings. She has worked in international ministries as well as with Proverbs 31 Ministries. When she’s not surrounded by friends, you can usually find her reading a book or enjoying the great outdoors. A 30-A beach girl, born and raised, she and her husband now reside in Nashville. Her first book, You Are Not Behind: Building a Life You Love Without Having Everything You Want, is available wherever books are sold. You can connect with her on Instagram @meghanryanasbury and at AlwaysMeghan.com.