“See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil” – Ephesians 5:15,16
When children get out of school in the spring, they feel that they have a long time before it starts again in the fall. Parents and teachers know better. The summer will fly by very fast. We can either wait for it to be over, or we can take advantage of the extra time children have to teach as much as possible to help them with their lives.
Yes, children have more time when they don’t go to school every day, but, unfortunately, some church activities do not continue throughout the summer months. Perhaps the summer is when we should have more activities for children, not less. Children are often at home without parents because the parents may be at work. Parents are wanting help, that they often do not have, to keep children busy. Summer is a real opportunity to reach children.
Vacation Bible School is wonderful. (There was a time when it lasted two weeks). Some children’s workers take children on one-day trips for picnics or other activities. Day camps provide more contact with kids. WMU missions organizations provide more than love for missions. Those who take part are learning a great deal of geography. They often plan mission activities to be done in the community. Children benefit greatly by taking part in these projects.
Parents should plan carefully to ensure that children are taught those things that school does not teach. Housekeeping, cooking, minor repairs, gardening, and family heritage are a few of the things that children probably are not learning at school. We should not underestimate the learning involved in children doing chores around the house. Children may want to spend a few days with relatives to learn more about family. There are many historical markers about the country. Pointing those out to children is a good learning activity. Family vacations to National Parks are educational.
In many cases the summer goes by and when children start back to school in the fall, many are heard to say, “Where did the summer go?” If we don’t plan to meet the needs of our children, we will likely be one of those expressing this feeling. God does not take vacations. As parents and church workers, we really don’t have vacations either. We may think we do. When those thoughts enter our minds, we stop working and forget that the children have not stopped learning and growing. There is a saying, “Confucius say, ‘A child with something to do, him busy. A child with nothing to do, him busy, too.’” As Christians, and as parents, we need to be making sure that what children are doing is bringing them closer to Jesus. In 90 days, there are 2160 hours. Of those hours, 720 may be spent in sleep. That leaves 1440 hours for the children. That is 86,400 minutes. Can we “redeem the time” as the Scripture tells us? Can we be wise and make sure the time is used well?