Vacation
September 9, 2020
If all went well, I am not in Peachtree City as you read this on Wednesday. If all went well, my son Luke and I successfully completed the hike known as the DeCaliBron. Near Leadville, Colorado, God situated four 14,000+ foot mountains so closely together that if the weather holds—not to mention your legs and lungs—you can summit all four in one amazing and exhausting day. The names of the four mountains are Democrat, Cameron, Lincoln, and Bross. Playing off the term “marathon,” someone named the adventure DeCaLiBron, incorporating the first initials of each summit.
So, if all went well, I am on vacation as you read this. On the radio the other day, I heard that well over half of Americans do not use their allotted vacation days. Part of me understands. Work is invigorating. Most of us have jobs in which rarely do we feel we have all our ducks neatly in a row. Plus, it’s nice to feel needed. None of us wants to let our coworkers down. We might even feel guilty when we take a vacation. While I use most of my vacation granted, I’m one of those Americans who usually leave a few “use it or lose it” days on the table.
But this week, I am cashing in. I’m on vacation not only enjoying myself but also, I believe, being obedient to God’s will for our lives. Have you ever noticed how often Scripture tells us that Jesus regularly took time to go off to a quiet place or hop on a boat ride? (Mark 6.30-34 for example.) It seems that even the Savior of the world needed some time to enjoy God’s creation, find quiet moments with his heavenly Father, and draw energy through life’s opportunities apart from his full-time job.
Here are a few reasons why I think we honor God when we take vacation:
1. God’s Third Command institutes Sabbath. In God’s rhythm, the Lord wants us to mix up life every once in a while, especially in a spirit of rest.
2. In vacations, we put fuel in our tanks. Often, we are inspired by new locations, schedules, and people. Upon return, our coworkers often find us both more cheerful and more creative. Maybe our families enjoy us more too!
3. Planet earth displays millions of natural wonders. To not explore and delight in creation almost seems a sin.
4. Jesus worked hard to interact with all kinds of people, especially those who grew up in different places than he did. It seems as though we should model his example by traveling to meet “outsiders.”
5. There’s an old parable about a lumberjack so dedicated he never took time to sharpen the saw. But it turns out he was drastically less efficient then the lumberjack partner who took a break every hour to sharpen and clean his blade.
6. God gives us family and friends as wonderful gifts. We open and appreciate such gifts through dedicating holy time and adventures with them.
Questions for you:
What would you add to this list? Do you find it difficult to take your vacation days? Why? What’s the best vacation you remember? What made it so satisfying? What’s a get-away you’d like to plan for the future?
When I return to COS, I’ll be pumped for many aspects of ministry: expanding our streaming worship schedule, serving alongside some new wonderful staff team- mates who are blessings to us, and leaning into existing and new ways to keep all of us connected to Jesus’ pathway of joy in life, especially in these bizarre pandemic times. Together, COS is up for the challenge and adventure.
But for now, I hope God is happy that I’m taking a few vacation days with my son.
Taking time to explore God’s world with you,
Pastor Fritz