Spiritual Growth Goals to Set for Yourself This Summer

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Spiritual growth isn’t just for teens. Discover three questions to ask yourself about growing closer to Jesus. Then be purposeful about building your faith this summer.

I woke up with an anxious knot in my stomach. I had no idea where it had come from. Lying in bed, I reviewed possible reasons it could be there. My summer has been the busiest ever.

I have spent time with teens from all over the country as they have come on missions trips to our ministry. The summer has been packed with details, coordinating, early mornings, and too much to do. It could be stress at home juggling teens, aging parents, and everyday tasks.

Searching my brain, finally I stopped and prayed. Then I realized this wasn’t the first time I had this feeling this summer. It rose up on the days I was on autopilot with God.

Many days, busyness had caused me to treat my time with the Lord as optional. If I wasn’t careful, this ministry thing would focus inward on my own strength.

To calm my heart, I had to ask myself three questions. And I encourage you to consider them too.

3 Questions for Spiritual Growth This Summer

1. Do I Want to Grow Closer to the Lord?

We all know the “right” answers when we’re feeling spiritually dry. We should read our Bibles, pray, and go to church. If we’re really deep, then we have an accountability partner and small group. In my opinion, you should do all these things.

This summer I’ve repeatedly told teens, “You can’t trust someone you don’t know. If you don’t trust Christ, what are you doing to get to know him?” I didn’t realize I had the same issues. All those things we do help us understand who the Lord is. Then we’re able to get to know his character.

In youth ministry, we do many things that help us learn about God and tell others about him. We spend time with the Lord so we can get ready to teach someone else. Yet we must honestly ask ourselves tough questions. Is it easier to go through the motions than to press in and be near God? Do I want to live with this knot or learn to trust the Lord more?

2. Do I Quiet My Heart and Listen to God?

As I drove to work one summer morning, I remembered it was staff prayer. I had missed this many times out of necessity. Truthfully, I had no reason to skip this day. Still I sat in my car trying to come up with an excuse. After all, I had planned to catch up on admin work.

While sitting before Jesus together, I realized this was what would attack the anxiety. The Lord convicted me. I realized, “When is the last time I was just still and knew he is God?” It had been a while.

So find times this summer to quiet your heart and just be with God. Do you need to spend an extra five minutes in your car? Can you take 15 minutes to intentionally get to know God better? Take the time to be with him. Simply remember that you are his and he is yours.

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