What I Learned During the BEST Last Week of Summer EVER

Last week marked the end of summer in our house.  School started back this week and all is quiet on the home front from 8AM-3PM Monday-Friday (can I get an AMEN?).  And last week marked what will go down as the greatest end of summer week EVER.

But not because of big, expensive, extravagant trips and events.  Because of small things that build memories.  Moments that are now forever tattooed on our brains.  Last week Chad took the week off of work.  With no real plans and no schedule, our only set goal was to have family time.

We went to a movie, went shopping in San Antonio, went bowling, went fishing, went to a water park and spent a day on the lake.  I overloaded Instagram and Facebook with pictures of the fabulous memories we were making.  We laughed a lot.  Slept in.  Stayed up way too late.  Ate completely ridiculously unhealthy things and felt no guilt about it.  There were several times that both kids let us know that they were LOVING the week.  The week full of little things that make big memories.  The week full of nothing out of the ordinary, but full of extraordinary.

Memories were made.  Relationships grew deeper.  Fun was had.  And while we sat on the banks of the river with our fishing lines in the water, the Trace Adkins song Just Fishin’ ran through my mind.  The kids don’t get it yet.  They think we’re just fishin’…or bowling…or shopping.  But when they have kids, they’ll get what we were doing making these memories.  I’ll cherish this week for always.

And I’ll cherish the lesson God showed me at the end of it.  How often do we, and His kids, think that we have to do something grand and extravagant for Him? How often do we think our gift, our offering, our service has to be extraordinary for Him to proud of us?

My Father so gently showed me that it’s not the big things that He’s seeking from me.  Sure, there will be “big” things.  But He is more concerned with the little things, the day to day things.  I build my relationship best with Him when I meet with Him daily.  When I take time to dive into the Word.  When I stop to pray (and not just for my food).  When I look at the natural beauty of His creation while I have a line in the river and acknowledge His greatness.  My sweetest memories with Him are the ones in the day to day.  They sustain me.  They remind me the He is with me every day.

Just like the day to day investment in my kids makes memories that will sustain them as they venture off into this new school year, my day to day investment in my Father will sustain me in the new challenges this school year, and life in general, will bring.

As you go through your today, invest in the small things.  Love the small things.  Cherish the small things.  The biggest memories and greatest impact are found in those precious moments.