From titles like “10 Things to Thrift for Your Summer” or “Your Ultimate Summer Bucket List,” the videos on YouTube grab my attention every single time. Anything with summer in the title? Count me in baby! I am a summer girl at heart for sure.
I want the slow mornings, the late sunsets, the baseball games, the watermelon, the porch talks, the road trips, the barefoot evenings. Summer just feels settled, fully content and joyful to me.
But instead of searching the thrift store for a watermelon platter, or adding yet another amusement park to the bucket list… what would it look like if we packed a little summer “haul” not only for our entertainment… but for our spirit?
On softball evenings, I carry a prepacked tote bag with me. A book of course (how could I work at a library without absolutely loving books myself?), a snack, a water bottle, sunglasses, sometimes an iced coffee if I’m treating myself, a picnic blanket, maybe even a sketchbook or puzzle book are tucked inside. That’s my guaranteed essentials for a summer outing.
What if we were to put together a “perfectly” packed bag of summer goodies- but not ones just for fun or distraction… ones that would help our souls breathe a little deeper too?
If you peeked inside my spiritual summer essentials bag this summer, here’s what you’d find…
1. A good dose of laughter
Much needed year around, but something about summer brings on old stories, old jokes, and just a casual get together feel. “A cheerful heart is good medicine…”— Proverbs 17:22 (NIV)
2. Plenty of nature
I love being outside and just sitting and sipping my coffee each morning, or taking a walk in the evening with my dog. It makes me feel fully alive and so close to God.
3. Creating art for where God has me
Lately I have been loving to cut apart old magazines and collage the pictures. Here below is one I made of what I hoped my summer ahead would feel like. It is just a fun way to relieve some stress and also just be like a kid and have some fun. Other ideas are painting, crafting, or even just doodling.
There is something healing about making art with no pressure for it to be good.
Allow some time for fun, processing, and creativity this summer.
4. Plenty of God’s Word
Not rushed reading just to check a box, but real lingering. Sticky notes with handwritten scripture verses stuck to the mirror. A simple psalm in the morning.
5. Praise and worship
Calm music. Happy music. Worship music. Music floating out the window and catching the summer breeze. The kind that brings peace back into the room.
6. Stillness in His presence
God has called us to be dwellers. What does that mean? Not unlike dwelling in my actual house, if I “dwell” in the Lord- he is my home, my constant place of peace. It’s where you can constantly find me.
Not striving. Not rushing. Just learning again how to sit with Him.
7. Wonder
Summer wakes the wonder back up in me somehow. The color of the sky after a storm. Baseball on the radio. Flowers growing where nobody planted them. The simple reminder that God is still creating beautiful things all around us.
Maybe this summer doesn’t have to become the biggest or busiest one yet.
Maybe what our souls are really craving is laughter, wonder, stillness, truth, beauty, and the presence of God woven into ordinary days.
A well-packed summer bag for the spirit.
And honestly? That sounds like the kind of summer I want most.
Until next time,
Melanie Talevski 