We recently held our final activity of the summer for the Attic Student Ministry, the youth ministry of FBC Seymour. As the students sat next to the lake, I began the devotion for the evening as if I was conducting a funeral. The opening was as follows: “Dearly Beloved. We are gathered together today in the sight of God to remember and reflect on the life of our dear friend Summer Twenty Twenty-Four. It came and left us all-too-quickly, leaving us with nothing but memories of good times shared and thoughts of what might have been.” Everyone laughed, but it was one of those moments when it was funny because it was true.
Attitude influences experience.
Whether you get a summer break or not, whether you are looking forward to your kids getting back to school and a regular schedule or lamenting the same, there always seems to be a tinge of sadness as the sun begins to set on the summer months. It’s all-too-easy to forget the good vibes from good times once they’ve passed and we’ve returned to the real world. While it’s perfectly normal and appropriate for us to feel our feelings, both good and bad, we will also do well to remember that attitude influences experience. If we allow our lamentation for our return to school and/or real life to linger, we shouldn’t be surprised if our experience is less than joyful. Each of us needs to do a quick attitude check.
During my years in West Virginia, I spent a great deal of time every summer at Camp Cowen. On the whole, camp was usually a good time. But, anytime you gather a large number of children or youth and keep them up late and wake them up early, there are bound to be some attitude issues. At Cowen, there was a simple solution to this dilemma. At any time, a counselor, director, or other adult leader could shout, “ATTITUDE CHECK!” All those who heard would immediately respond together, “PRAISE THE LORD!” What’s interesting is that this corny call and response could actually impact the energy of the entire group. It caused everyone to reorient their hearts and minds, putting us in a positive frame of mind and generally leading to positive experiences.
The sweet freedom of summer and all of the wonderful experiences it brings have sadly come to their conclusion, but there are great days ahead.
It would appear that the Bible agrees; There is incredible power in the perspective we choose to take in our daily lives. Proverbs 15:13 tells us, “A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit.” And again, in Proverbs 17:22, it reads, “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” Attitude influences experience.
In the coming week, school will be back in full-swing in Seymour, Brownstown, and the surrounding regions. The sweet freedom of summer and all of the wonderful experiences it brings have sadly come to their conclusion, but there are great days ahead. There are good things to be experienced, even in the everyday and ordinary of school, work, and tight schedules. May we each have a quick “ATTITUDE CHECK” every morning to remind us of the goodness of God and to reorient our hearts towards happiness and joy. In every season, there is reason to praise the Lord for the life He most graciously gives.
