Though we live in Hawaii where we can be outside all year round, there is something special about summer that speaks to my soul.
Summer speaks STOP, and it speaks SLOW DOWN. And it speaks LISTEN.
I embrace the days with no agenda, and no schedule.
I love to get outside and be in the fresh air JUST BECAUSE.
Whether we are picnicing in our front yard or spending a lazy day at the beach, summer is all about getting out and enjoying nature.
One of my favorite things to do during our free time out-of-doors is to look for natural faith lessons to share with my boys. I’ve always enjoyed doing this–and now that the kids are getting a little older, it’s fun to let them practice as well.
Really, spiritual analogies are all around us–if we’re looking for them.
God has made it so easy to know and experience Him, just by the way He has made us and the creation we live in! I have a lot of fun when I take time to LOOK for faith analogies, and teaching points in the every day with my family. God becomes a little more relatable, and exciting when He comes to life in our very surroundings.
Here’s just a few examples of faith analogies that I see all around us:
**Seeing healthy trees, and talking about what the Bible means when it says that we should be like a tree, planted by streams of water…(Jeremiah 17:7-8)
**Again, looking at trees, and discussing what kind of FRUIT they produce. Apply that one to our lives! (Matt 12:33, 35)
**Still one more with trees–checking out a tree’s ROOTS, and discussing what it means to be rooted in Christ. (Col 2:7)
**Living near the beach, the waves are a great illustration of the Holy Spirit…who is powerful, gentle, and moving constantly, even though we cannot see or fully understand Him. (John 3:8) (You can use Jesus’ specific analogy with the wind as well!)
**The current in the ocean can be strong, and if we are not aware of it, can pull us down stream to places we do not want to go. Similarly, the world would like to pull us down, and if we are not alert, and purposefully following God’s ways, we can end up more like the world than like the Lord. (Romans 12:2)
** We had some big rains here in Hawaii a while back, and our beautiful blue ocean turned an ugly brown. The rivers that pour into it polluted the fresh water with filth from garbage, pesticides, and all kinds of gunk. Similarly our own lives are made pure when we become a Christian, but can be “muddied up” if we let garbage in…The things we watch, the friends we spend time with, and what we involve ourselves in will affect the purity in our hearts. It is important to protect ourselves from the gunk, and to come to the Lord often to be renewed by His cleansing. (Titus 3:5)
***
This is a fun exercise to do with your kids. See how many analogies you can come up with, and let them try a few. Then be sure to encourage them for trying!
With Aloha,
Monica









































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