I Will Give You Rest

The long summer school holidays can seem like a daunting prospect for many parents, with many of our Ely and District CAP clients worried about how they can afford to feed their children without school meal provision, to pay for activities and keep children entertained, let alone to be able to pay for a family holiday. A time of rest becomes a time of stress.

However, there are ways to get through the holidays on a small budget, and here are six top tips from CAP:

1. Create an action plan

Avoid the stress of not knowing what to do with the kids by drawing up an action plan. Having a summer programme of planned activities will help you work out how much you’ll need, enabling you to enjoy each activity with the children knowing that you can afford it. So why not brainstorm some ideas of potential activities, set up a flexible schedule and work out a budget for the holidays?

2. Make use of free activities

Local churches often organise free holiday clubs – the children can enjoy the fun activities and get the chance to make new friends, and you’ll be able to have a few hours to yourself. You could also check out your council website and Facebook community groups that advertise free summer activities for children.

3. Be weather-ready

From play parks to beaches, there are many free activities to do with the kids outside, and bad weather doesn’t have to spoil your plans. Gear up for all weathers ahead of time so that if you’re caught out by a sudden downpour you don’t have to find an expensive indoor activity to do instead.

4. Have a sort out

Make the most out of kids' play spaces for the summer ahead, and get the children involved in decluttering their bedrooms – they may even discover some toys that they’d forgotten about which will save on buying new ones. You could even sell any unwanted items for a little extra summer spending money.

5. Set helpful tasks

Including the kids in some of the household chores might not sound that exciting, but you’d be surprised how much fun you can have from getting everyone involved to help out – it takes the pressure off you and also teaches them some valuable skills. Try planning a set time of day to do a little housework with the kids and divvy out small tasks using a chore wheel to keep it fair and varied. You could even offer fun incentives such as a sticker reward chart or special activities for later.

6. Do some baking

Why not have some fun with the kids and get them involved with baking and cooking together? It can be a fantastic learning opportunity and doesn’t have to be an expensive activity – find budget-friendly recipes online to show children how to cook economically, with the added bonus of having some food prepared for when they’re hungry. (They might also be more inclined to eat it if they’ve made it!)

These are all good tips for those on limited incomes to be able to enjoy the school holidays and spend some time together as a family. Being able to have a time of rest and refreshment is important, especially for those weighed down by worries such as debt.

Matthew 11: 28 - 30 (MSG)

28-30 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

By dwelling in the love of Christ, we can find a space where we can recover, to lay burdens aside and let someone else share the load to be enabled to move through life freely and lightly, to enjoy time spent with family and the gift of rest free from worry. This safe space is a place where we can be closer to God and recognise the gifts of love that He gives so abundantly.

Prayer

Please pray especially for our Ely and District CAP clients who are worried about the long summer holidays, how to provide even the basics for their children. Pray that they would know the peace of God in their lives and be able to take some time to rest and lay aside the burdens of worry for a while.

Pray for our debt coaches and visit team, for the message of God's love that they bring to the homes of our clients, that it may be a source of inspiration and comfort. Pray for all the team as they take their own holidays, that it will be a refreshing and restoring time of rest.

Pray for two more clients debt free this week, taking the Ely and District CAP Debt Centre total to 97! Pray that these clients can fee relief now that the burden of debt has been removed and for all those whose debt freedom is in the processing stage which can take a while, that they would know that relief is just around the corner.