GETTING STARTED
The summer can provide a refreshing change of pace as a college student. You don’t have an 8 AM class to get up for, chapter meetings and events to plan or attend, or busy schedules to manage.
Sometimes I have found that when I have more freedom with my time, it actually can be more difficult to prioritize how I spend it. There is no shortage of fun things to do, people to see, and cool places to visit this summer. Can we do all the fun things on our summer list while also prioritizing our time with God?
In this passage, we see how Jesus models how to slow down and take time to be with God even in the midst of an important time of ministry and navigating people’s expectations of him.
Mark 1:35-39
35 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. 36 Simon and his companions went to look for him, 37 and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!”
38 Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” 39 So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER
1. In what way does Jesus demonstrate the importance of spending time with God in the midst of a busy time?
2. How do you think Simon and the other disciples felt when they could not find Jesus?
3. Have you experienced a moment when you were trying to have a quiet time, but it felt like “everyone is looking for you”?
4. What is one thing you can do to help carve out some time each day for God this summer? What is keeping you from doing it?
5. Is there a new spiritual rhythm or practice that you can start this summer and take back with you to campus in the fall?
CLOSING REFLECTION
Some of my fondest memories while in college were the summers I worked as a camp counselor at Camp Tekoa; located in the beautiful Western North Carolina mountains.
I can appreciate the newness of another day. But, I am most definitely not a morning person. Nonetheless, bright and early every morning, all staff and campers gathered on the steps of the dining hall to spend a few minutes in quite morning devotion. The steps overlooked the beautiful lake and all the fun activities that would come later in the day.
By the end of the summer, I came to really appreciate and look forward to this time with God each morning. Whether it is early in the morning or another time during the day, try to make it a priority to spend time with God regularly this summer.
