We’re all going on a summer holiday

“We’re all going on a summer holiday

No more working for a week or two

Fun and laughter on our Summer holiday

No more worries for me or you…..”

 

And it goes on. Only for most of us we’re not comfortable going anywhere, or we would have been only it got cancelled, or quarantine rules ruled out that week in the sun, or the money simply ran out. Our children will have slogged through over a term and a half of online school, or school courtesy of Mum, or Dad or another very valuable person and they deserve a treat and a well earned rest.

Those on furlough will have experienced that end of term euphoria, last day before a holiday feeling and it may already have faded as the weeks have passed. Some of us face so much uncertainty about the future that paying to go and sleep somewhere else whilst carrying those worries around is out of the question.

 

So what can be done to mark the summer if not the summer holiday? Manchester’s rain as ever doesn’t fill us with much hope for some days out.

It is daunting especially for families. We desperately want to give our kids some fun after all they’ve been through. But fun doesn’t need to cost money. Fun is simple activities injected with positive attitude, agreeing to look silly and a willingness to laugh loud and long.

 

In our SRG Brew this week we were thinking about family challenges, inside and outside and cooking challenges. Pizza making, star gazing, dressing up and mud pies, sometimes the old games are still the best. We needn’t feel anxious about the “summer holiday” at home. We can share ideas and try out new things. And as long as we free ourselves up from other demands instead of trying to fit activities into a non summer timetable, we can be confident that fun will be enjoyed by all.

 

We do have enough time in the day for having fun. What sort of a Father would God be if we weren’t encouraged to have fun and enjoy what is all around us and with those we care for?

 

Laughter is a gift from God. It helps you cope with the sadness of everyday life. Laughing just makes you feel better and more relaxed…..ever tried laughing when your whole body is tense? Painful!

 

“Blessed are you who weep now for you will laugh.” Luke 6:21

This line is part of a much longer passage in the book of Luke in the Bible which identifies the ethic behind living a life for God. It is full of his promises and gives the follower comfort in their low times and reassurance and hope for the future. Don’t we all need that? It takes us through the tears into the laughter.

So as we welcome the rain this summer, splash each other in the puddles, shiver with our wet patches then warm up with hot chocolates at home, know that our Father in heaven is laughing with us.