We all go through cycles and season. Some can be tremendously busy. Others allow for a slower pace. At CBOQ Youth, our high season is January to March. That’s where we work the longest hours and put in the most intense energies. In the summer, our pacing typically slows down. It allows for us to shift gears. As I (Alvin) approach the summer season, a couple of reminders strike me.

There needs to be a slowdown season.

This isn’t just about vacation time or holidays. We all need time to actually rest. (Curious how God built those times of slowing down through the festivals instituted with Israel. Sometimes, vacations aren’t necessarily rest.) If you haven’t identified a time to slow down, or you haven’t had a time to slow down in the last two years, that’s a red flag that something needs to change. To constantly go hard isn’t healthy (personally, professionally or spiritually). The fact is, none of us are so important that we can’t slow down. (I need to remind myself of that truth as well.)

Emergencies will happen, but what really constitutes an emergency?

When we try to slow down, interruptions and distractions will come up inevitably. There are times when those interruptions do need to be attended to (like a sudden death). But there are many others where we may think they’re emergencies we need to address, but really don’t. Guarding that slow down time is vital to your soul and relationship with God.

Summer may not be your slow-down time; if not, when is it? Identify it and guard it for the sake of your relationship with Jesus, for the family and friends surrounding you and the ministry entrusted to you.