Don’t Let Students Waste This Summer

By Guest Contributor June 14, 2021

By Chris Maxwell

By this point, you have many summers under your belt and you’re likely to encounter many more. But each summer only happens once. Don’t waste it. Help your students take advantage of these months so that when they look back they’ll say, “The decisions I made during the summer of 2021 changed my life. I’m forever better because of it.”

But how can you push your students out of their summer stupor? It’s going to take you challenging them to live each day like it’s important.

Use these reminders to help and encourage your students to capitalize on their extra time this summer to keep growing into the mature disciples Jesus wants them to be. These can be used as conversation starters at the beginning of youth group or in Bible Study. Social Media has provided us with another great way to communicate with our students during the week when they are not at church. Use these reminders on social media to remind students to live each day this summer like it’s important! To help you get started, we have created a Summer Background Social Media Graphic Set that you can use with these reminders. Click here to download!

• Today’s decisions can influence the rest of my life.
• Self-centered ego isn’t great, but confidence is my friend. I am created and designed in God’s image. He plans to use me to change the world.
• Jesus isn’t just a song, a feeling, a history lesson, or a church topic. He’s my friend and my Savior. He wants time with me this summer. What can I do to make that a reality?
• What can I do to make this summer a fun adventure, not dull waste of time?
• How can I continue growing as a disciple even when it feels tedious?
• Other people will influence me. I can decide who, how much, and in what ways.
• This summer I need balance. Am I making time to care for my spiritual, relational, mental, emotional, and physical health?
• What five things should be my key goals for the summer?
• What four things shouldn’t be a part of my life this summer?
• What three people can I learn from this summer?
• What two books should I read this summer?
• What one Bible book should I read and study deeply this summer?
• Think about what you want your summer experience to be like. Plan it ahead of time as a practical way to be proactive. Set goals instead of just waiting to see what might occur.
• Pray the Lord’s Prayer daily. Pray it slowly, thinking about each word.
• Choose to forgive someone else, no matter how badly they hurt you.
• Ask for and receive forgiveness from God. Ask for forgiveness from someone you’ve wronged, no matter how you’ve hurt them.
• Ask yourself, “How can I make our youth group even better? How can I contribute?”
• Listen to what people are actually saying to you. Pay attention to important conversations in movies, lyrics in songs, God’s voice in Scripture, lessons from sermons, words from your youth pastor. Apply the positives from what you’ve heard.
• Ask, “What can I do today to be more like Jesus?”
• Look in the mirror each day and say, “You are made in the image of God. You are called for such a time as this.” God created you and gifted you for a special purpose, not just sometime in the future, but today!

Download the Summer Background Social Media Graphic set!