In my life, structure is my friend. It’s predictable, consistent and I never have to worry about things changing or being out of place. In my stage of life (and for our students), this structure comes in the form of the school year. It’s always predictable: you go to school Monday-Friday, have a couple weeks off for Christmas, one for Spring Break and a couple months off for summer.

I don’t know about you, but when I lose structure, my spiritual habits tend to suffer. Because I don’t have a consistent schedule over these break times, it’s harder for me to intentionally schedule a quiet time or an extended prayer time. Chances are, your students have the same problem.

So how do we overcome this lack of consistency over a long break like summer? For me, it’s all about reminders. Leaving my Bible on my desk at home is a constant reminder for me that I need to spend time with God. I don’t have a set time every day when I can do this, but I know I see my Bible a couple times a day. This keeps the idea in my head.

Another idea that would work for some people is to bring some structure by scheduling time for God. Put it on a sticky note or a calendar somewhere you’ll see it to remind yourself. My memory is terrible, so I’ve even put it in my iPhone and computer calendars to be a reminder.

The bottom line is this–don’t let a lack of consistency get between you and your relationship with God. Even more, you can take these ideas and give them to your students to make sure they keep growing over summer.