School is OUT!

           School is out… or almost out depending on what school district you live in.   I can’t remember a happier day of school than the last day of school each year.  Don’t get me wrong, I loved school and learning, but who wouldn’t love a three month vacation.  The first day of vacation I would sleep in as late as my body would let me.  The second day of vacation I would stay up as late as I could and then sleep in the next day as late as I could.  The first few weeks of summer vacation would be absolute relaxation and joy. 

    Then I would get bored.

    The funny thing was I was sure that I couldn’t wait to be lazy and play all summer, then two or three weeks in, all I wanted was something to do.   It isn’t that I have a short attention span, or a lack of hobbies.  I just hate the feeling of being unproductive.  I would invent tasks for myself like building a tree fort out in the woods or perfecting my aim with a BB gun.  Sooner or later I would find myself totally out of good ideas for being productive, and the last thing in the world you ever wanted to say to my mother was that you were bored.  She had a list as long as your arm of tasks she wanted accomplished.  If she even suspected that you were getting bored the next thing you knew it you were cleaning out the garage.   So I worked hard to keep from being the target of Mom’s hard work.

    As an adult, like most folks, I live a busy, over scheduled life.   Unfortunately busy and productive are hardly the same thing.    It is amazing but you can be busy and bored at the same time.  Well, maybe not bored… no, something far worse: you can be unfulfilled.   All our business isn’t the same thing as producing something that makes us feel complete. 

    Benjamin Franklin once said, “Before you get in the morning ask yourself ‘what good will I do today?’ and before you go to sleep at night ask yourself ‘what good have I done today?’”  I think we all could answer the question of what have we done today, because of the exhaustingly long list of things we did, but how many of them really qualified as a “good”?  

    In serving God we have the opportunity not to merely live lives of business and doing, but to live lives of being part of a “good” that can offer meaning and substance to our existence.  If you find yourself facing the long, boring, summer vacation of the soul maybe it’s time to ask God what it is that we ought to be doing.  I can guarantee it will be worlds better than cleaning out the garage.

Blessings,