How to Make a Splash With Your Summer

Much of life exists in paradox. The sun is shining as kids play with friends in the front yard and ride bikes around the neighborhood, and I answer a group Facetime call so my siblings and I can talk to our grandpa, many miles away, and encourage him to hold onto life so his daughters can make it in time to say goodbye. Pain and heartache juxtapose with joy and life, and we live in the tension. To be human is to experience both, and often as parallels. Today we will hold the tension of both/and while we talk about how to make a splash with our summer—because a missional life doesn’t exist in a vacuum.

To make a splash, we must get wet—and in terms of missional living, that looks like sitting with our neighbors sometimes through the messy and hard parts of life as well as those that abound with joy. It means we don’t shy away from or minimize the seasons of life that are hard to navigate. It means we invite God into all the pieces because only He can piece together beauty when brokenness is all we see. It means we embrace the both/and.

Walking out a mission-minded life this summer is about simply this: loving God and loving the people around us. It begins with the posture of our hearts that then moves us into action. It’s openness to letting God’s Spirit flow through our lives and ripple out throughout our neighborhood. We talked a few weeks back about the importance of spending time with God so we are filled before we pour out. If you missed it, you may find it here. For a deeper dive into how and why we adopt a rhythm of abiding in Christ, check out Cultivating a Life Worth Imitating, a little further back on the blog. It’s important to hold ever close to the truth that we do because of who we are, not the other way around.

So what are some practical ways we can make a splash this summer?

Let’s dive in.

1. Stay tethered to Jesus.

We live a life worth imitating in proximity with others so those around us can imitate us as we imitate Christ. Yet we can’t replicate the effects of proximity with Jesus apart from spending time connecting with Him.

Be imitators of God in everything you do, for then you will represent your Father as his beloved sons and daughters. Ephesians 5:1, TPT

2. Notice our neighbors.

It sounds simple, but it’s foundational to missional living because noticing communicates that we value our neighbors. It meets a basic human desire to be seen and speaks in a language not confined to words. Noticing is also a practical way to give credence to the both/and tensions present this summer. As we practice noticing our neighbors, let’s be mindful that we are not only noticing those we can most easily relate to. Noticing leads to greater understanding and compassion when we let God’s Spirit continually direct our steps.

3. Be visible.

Summer lends itself more easily to time spent outdoors. As many are staying home more often than a typical summer, consider the amount of time weekly you spend visible to your neighbors. If you are apt to stay indoors or behind your privacy fence, I encourage you to start with one small baby step. What can you do in your front yard that doesn’t have to be done inside? When our neighbors can see us, it’s far easier to connect and cultivate friendships.

4. Be friendly.

This may sound obvious, but it’s important, so it’s worth a mention. What do you communicate with your words and actions, but also with the tone of your voice, face expressions, and other non-verbals? Greeting a neighbor with a bright smile is a great place to start if you need a baby step idea.

However you wish to be treated by others is how you should treat everyone else. Luke 6:31, TPT

5. Be interruptible.

Our time is valuable, and when we take the time to put what we are doing on hold and converse with, play with, or help a neighbor, we show that our neighbors are valuable in our eyes. When dinner can wait a few minutes, you can share toys with neighbor kids when your kids are playing outside, or you can answer that knock on the door, I encourage you to take the opportunity.

6. Seek depth.

Here is where we begin looking for opportunities to go beyond the casual acquaintance level and let friendships with our neighbors take root. The baby steps that we have already been taking have been paving the way. You’ve gained some momentum, and are seeing your neighborhood through different eyes. Now prayerfully consider one or two neighbors you could be intentional about getting to know better. Here are a few ideas: stop to chat in their driveway when you see them outside, offer to help with a project you’ve noticed them working on, or invite them to a grill-out in the front yard (as spaced out as needed per the social distancing guidelines in your area).

7. Be real.

As you slowly develop friendships with your neighbors, lead first by opening up and letting yourself be better known. It may be helpful to bear in mind that the imperfections that make you feel vulnerable also make you human and can help put others at ease. Your neighbors know that you don’t actually lead an impeccable life and never struggle or face anything hard, and pretending keeps others at an arm’s distance. Instead, be willing to talk about the both/ands in your life. You are worried about X but are learning to let God’s peace help with your anxiety. You offer your own mom-of-the-year story to the neighbor mom who’s kid just made a scene in front of you. Or you mention something about what God is currently cultivating in your life.

8. Put love into practical action.

As we continue the practice of noticing and getting to really know our neighbors, we will be cognizant of areas where we can help fill needs. Whether it’s a tool you could lend, an ingredient from your pantry you could share, a meal you could bless another family with, or a tree you could help cut down, intention to be the hands and feet of Jesus to your neighbors. Also, needs within your city are great opportunities to rally neighbors together to help make a bigger impact. Practical acts of love speak volumes; even small gestures of kindness can make a big splash.

Let’s close with a section from 1 Corinthians 13, which I find especially powerful in The Passion Translation. I encourage you to read it a second time, inserting your own name in wherever the word “love” is. I’ll demonstrate, with a few slight modifications for clarity, using the name Katie.

Love is large and incredibly patient. Love is gentle and consistently kind to all. It refuses to be jealous when blessing comes to someone else. Love does not brag about one’s achievements nor inflate its own importance. Love does not traffic in shame and disrespect, nor selfishly seek its own honor. Love is not easily irritated or quick to take offense. Love joyfully celebrates honesty and finds no delight in what is wrong. Love is a safe place of shelter, for it never stops believing the best for others. Love never takes failure as defeat, for it never gives up. Love never stops loving. V 4-8a.

Katie’s heart is large and she is incredibly patient. Katie is gentle and consistently kind to all. Katie refuses to be jealous when blessing comes to someone else. Katie does not brag about her own achievements nor inflate her own importance. Katie does not traffic in shame and disrespect, nor selfishly seek her own honor. Katie is not easily irritated or quick to take offense. Katie joyfully celebrates honesty and finds no delight in what is wrong. Katie is a safe place of shelter in her neighborhood, for she never stops believing the best for others. Katie never takes failure as defeat, for she never gives up. Katie never stops loving. (modified from 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a, TPT)

We make a splash this summer in our neighborhoods by letting the love of God propel us into noticing and valuing those around us, making space in our lives for our neighbors, and being authentic. We lean into opportunities to casually share about what God is working out in our lives but remember to couple the words we speak with tangible expressions of neighborly love.

We will end today with prayer.

Dear Jesus, we want this year to be more than just another summer that passes too quickly on by. Help to linger and savor the moments to connect with and get to know our neighbors better. Fill us with Your love and Spirit so we can be conduits of your grace in our neighborhoods. Please lead us to each next baby step so we can make a big splash this summer. In Your holy and precious name, Lord, we pray. Amen.

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P.S. Did you know that The Uncommon Normal is also available as a podcast? Tune in to Apple Podcasts or Spotify to listen!