Summer Sunsets

Summer Sunsets by Tiffany Ward

Hey you! Have you found your summer legs yet? Are you finding ways to balance work, play, and rest? Or is chaos still on repeat?

I live in a house with a wonderfully large common space and three other humans! We have adapted to the school time routine, and now that school’s out we have been completely unstructured and loose in our habits. The first couple of weeks free of school, we live and let live. It’s a nice change of pace. In the summertime with the kids home all of the time, we find things a bit strewn everywhere! This beautiful mess is partly because, in Texas, we try to get outside before it’s too hot. Then in the afternoon, if we aren’t splashing around in our stock tank cowboy pool, we enjoy little projects such as: crafts, movies, or books during the heat of the day. I love these little projects left undone, toys strewn about, and crumbs on or under the table. My heart feels so much joy when I see this in the summertime!

My husband and I both work through the summer, and there are a few spaces that have to stay managed in the household. The common space, kitchen, pantry and laundry are the main spaces we keep in order during this nice break. I typically incorporate some structure into the day for the kids with rhythms and routines they can follow themselves. I help them create a list at the start of the day. They use a clock and timers as their guide so they don’t have to keep coming to me and looking for me to tell them what to do. This is wonderful because it allows me space to be free from decision fatigue. We don’t allow our kids endless screen time and if they do use screens it is usually in the afternoon. This boundary helps them know that’s not even an option for them in the morning. There are, however, these two drawers in our kitchen, and they frequently become unmanageable.

I remember a time in my life when I would have rage cleaned those drawers…unleashing my inner Monica from the show FRIENDS in one moment! One particular Tuesday, I asked my husband to please tend to the mess while I mowed the grass. He graciously said yes to me, and handled it. I felt thankful to walk away and let him deal with it. I have since reorganized it again, and know the drawers will likely need attention in the coming month because of the role they play in our kitchen.

I digress, as I was sitting on the mower mowing straight lines and affecting change on the grass with every cut the blade made and enjoying the smell of fresh-cut grass, I was thinking. Wow. I really have a struggle with control. I’m either walking away from it, or leaning hard into it. I took a test from a ministry program called Regeneration by Watermark Church. The test is called the struggles finder’s test. It showed me how my childhood themes of worry, insecurity, and fear have matured into depression, pride, and control. I reflected back to another moment earlier in the year when I had shared my testimony with the regen community in our church. Through this process of awareness, owning my broken places and fully trusting God I began to break free from the things that weighed me down in the past. I used to be so desperate for love that I unknowingly worshipped God’s creation. I loved the order he made and the pleasures I felt in all that He made. I looked to those people or things for acceptance and for joy. The first Biblical commandment in the Bible is Don’t have any other gods before Him.

There are many things we as humans worship instead of God. Our culture is fully absorbed with the worship of self and things that bring us pleasure or comfort. We spend our time idolizing aspects of His creation instead of really knowing the Creator ourselves. I am not ashamed to share that some of the top things I have elevated is fun, friendships, order, and my own comfort.

I have learned that we were made for worship by our Creator. The relationship with our maker is a sacred and special space to spend our time and give our affections. This treasured worship between us and God comforts us as He speaks kindly and lovingly to us, calling us out of ourselves, out of our broken places to higher places!

I want to share a passage that means a lot to me. The Bible verse referring to “deer feet” or “hinds' feet” is most famously found in Psalms 18:33 and also found in 2 Samuel 22:34 and Habakkuk 3:19. The passage says:

“He makes my feet like the feet of a deer, and sets me upon my high places.”

This verse emphasizes God's ability to make a person strong and sure-footed, even when faced with difficult or challenging situations. It signifies that God provides the stability and confidence needed to navigate life's obstacles. 

We have deer that graze in the back of our property early in the day, and again at sunset. The kids and I like to watch them quietly as they forage for what they need. When they are startled they look up, they look around, and they bound away to safety with sure feet. Today, and everyday forward I want to be like the deer! 🦌🦌🦌

They’re sure-footed because of Jesus! I can also see the picture of the deer painted in Psalm 42:1, which reads: "As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God." This verse expresses a longing for God, similar to how a deer thirsts for water.

So wherever you are today—balanced or unbalanced in work, play, or rest—I pray you find your summer legs. That you can experience treasured worship and true appreciation for the one who made it all. One of my favorite things to do in the summer with my family is to watch the sunset! Sunsets are a favorite for us, as are sun rises! We don’t want to miss them! We know we can walk away from all of those things strewn about the house, and we can enjoy the beauty of the moment despite the chaos of the summer day!

—Be Treasured