I don’t know about you at this time of year – but from my campus experience, once Spring Break was over, the rest of the semester was a rapid free-fall! The way I see it, you have two choices: pull the rip cord and slowly descend to the end of the semester, OR ignore your parachute, land wherever the wind takes you, and hope it's a fall without injury!
Let’s go with the first option! In order to see that play out, I think it takes intentionality. Here are some suggestions for a smooth landing into the end of a school year:
• REFLECT : Take time to think through what you’ve seen happen this year. How have you seen the people you work with grow and change?
• ENCOURAGE : Be intentional to tell them what you’ve seen! You may be the only person in their life speaking belief and blessing – allow the Lord to use you.
• CELEBRATE : With your small group(s) and/or your staff team(s), celebrate what God has done in your ministry – giving all the glory and credit to Him! Write specific names down and take time to be in awe over life-change.
•
EVALUATE
: Part of being a wise and faithful steward is taking an honest look
at the past. Don’t dwell on negative things but look at every area of ministry and see what went well – and what could be done differently in the future. That old expression, "Reality is your friend” is one I’ve always hated because sometimes I wish Reality was just a distant cousin I only have to see every couple of years at the family reunion. But it's true: we can only improve in effectiveness when we’re willing to look at reality and trust the Lord for insight and wisdom to improve, tweak, or keep things the same.
• CHALLENGE : Use the encouraging conversations to speak challenge for the future into the people God has placed in your life. You may think they just "know" but they don't. They need to hear how much you believe in them and how God can use them. Give them something to look forward to and trust the Lord for. If they aren't going on a summer project, give them suggestions to help them have a fruitful summer in their walk with the Lord.
• HAVE FUN : I always loved the end of a school year! It’s a great time to hang out with students and do life without as much pressure of the busy times of the year. (Sure, they have finals – but students seem to be able to “play” more during that time! At least the fun ones I worked with!)
I hope these tips will help you during the end-of-semester skydive. Feel free to add your own suggestions – I'd love to hear what others do to end the year well!
* Photo courtesy of Mark Wilson (Flickr Creative Commons)
©1994-2020 Cru. All Rights Reserved.
