The end of the school year hurtles toward us. Somehow May seems to pick up momentum, as if the weight of the entire year is pushing the clock and calendar down a hill. Hard to believe that summer’s almost here. But between here and summer is what one friend calls “hell month.” We go from merely busy to crazed. Recitals, sports, end of the year functions of all kinds crowd our calendar. It’s the storm before the calm.

But we’re not done yet. And now is the time to stay strong—to finish well. How? Not just gutting it out, not just by our own power. We do life, ministry, school, even parenting well by staying connected to Jesus and by not neglecting our own souls.

I wrote about this for the Today’s Children’s Ministry website this month. My article, A Look to Remember, focuses on how Peter faltered near the finish line. After three years of ministry with Jesus, he failed. He denied even knowing Jesus. He forgot what was important.

You may think you would never deny Jesus like Peter did. But every time we try to do anything under our own power, every time we get fed up with others not noticing our amazing contribution, we deny Jesus, in a way.

Now, you do have a role in this, of course. You have to show up. You have to give some effort to whatever you are called to do. And that’s no small thing. You do make a difference in the lives of people around you, just by being there. But it’s easy, especially this time of year, to disconnect and just try to grind through our endless obligations. To disconnect from Jesus—to deny Him—by trying to do it all ourselves.

Remember Him, stay connected to Him, and finish strong.

Summer’s almost here.