We are all excited about Christmas break, and many of us
have started setting some goals. We want
to get all of our reading done for the Spring Semester. We want to witness to all of our friends,
etc. Unfortunately, many of us get home
and do nothing. Laziness ensues. Sometimes students even fall into old sinful
habits. Here are some tips and ideas to
help you have a successful break:
1. Sleep! But not too much. You just completed a semester of school
on an average of 4-5 hours of sleep per night. By all means, catch up on your sleep! This does not mean, however, that you should become nocturnal and stay
up until 3am each night and sleep in past noon each day. Get yourself 8-10 hours of sleep each
night. No more, no less. Nothing valuable happens after midnight. Go to bed by 11 and get up around 8. It’s a great schedule. If you need more sleep, go to bed
earlier. J
2. Build a tree-house. You don’t have to build a tree-house, but
I do recommend some kind of productive hobby. Video games are not a productive hobby. Find something active, constructive, instructive, productive, or another
“-ive”. Build something with wood. Sew some clothing. Cook food for someone. Learn to play an instrument. Hike. You want something fun and productive that isn’t homework and isn’t a
video game.
3. Beware of Know-It-All syndrome. You just finished a semester of Bible
College. Way to go! Remember, this does not make you an expert on
all-things-Bible. As you return to your
homes and churches, be teachable. You
may know more “facts” about the Bible than your parents or other church
members. But, believe me, they know much
more about life. Much more. Return with a teachable spirit. Listen to your parents. Consider their instruction. If you are having trouble with this, read
some Proverbs.
4. Talk and share with your family. If you are anything like me, than your
general response to your family’s questions about life is, “good.” It’s the easy response when you are tired,
and not sure you want to share everything. Instead, open up. Talk with
them. Show them pictures and tell them
stories of classes and friends and mistakes and joys. Share as much as you can. They care about you and you need to keep them
involved in your life. Open up.
5. Get involved at your church. 4 weeks can be an awkward amount of
time. Too long to be just a visit, but
too short to make commitments. As you
return to your home churches, jump right in. Within the first week you are back, talk to your pastor about how you
can get involved. Sing in the Cantata,
teach Sunday School, share a testimony, lead music, play the piano, do a Bible
study, write notes, etc. Don’t just be
there, be all there.
6. Set achievable goals. It’s great that you want to get all of your
homework done for next semester, but that’s not really an achievable goal. Set goals in small amounts so you can chop
away at them. Rather than setting a goal
to chop down a redwood tree, set a goal to swing the axe at it 4 times each
day, and then see how far you get. If
your goal is too big, you might be too intimidated to ever get started. If you set achievable goals, you might
actually achieve some of them!
7. Plan to spend time in the Word. When you head home, you get out of your
“routine.” You’ll want to sleep in and
then do your devotions when you get up. The problem is, when you get up at 11, there’s stuff going on and it’s
hard to focus. So, you put it off. Before you know it, the day is spend and you
haven’t been in the Word. “I’ll get to
it tomorrow,” you’ll tell yourself. But
you won’t. Plan now to spend time in the
Word then. Figure out a good time and
stick to it. Tell someone else who can
hold you accountable. You need to be in
the Word. Make it happen.
8. Reflect on the previous semester. It all happened so fast! Take some time over break to think back over
the semester you just finished. Rehearse
some of the good memories. Think about
regrets you have. Think about the things
you really liked? What would you like to
do differently next semester? What
things would you like to do more next semester?
9. Develop your knee callouses. The semester gets so busy that it’s hard to
spend time in prayer. If you don’t get
in the habit of praying when you do
have time, you certainly won’t pray when you’re busy. Work on a prayer list. Start a prayer journal. Ask your pastor if you can meet with him for
prayer once a week. Pray, pray, pray.
10. Focus. In all of these things you do, focus. Focus on the right thing. Your purpose is to bring God glory. This is true even during breaks J. Start each day focused on God’s glory. Ask yourself, “How can I best honor Him
today?” “How can I glorify Him as I
__________?” In all you do, magnify your
God, and it will be a truly great break.
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