Engage the Mess: Do You Need a Vacation

The nicer weather has arrived. It is almost summer, so it's time for vacation! As a kid, I eagerly waited for the end of the school year and couldn’t wait for summer vacation. We never went anywhere exotic, but it was summer vacation! There was freedom to sleep in, go fishing, play soccer, and do what we wanted every day until school started again. As an adult, I recognize the need for a vacation. It is a change from the day-by-day routine of life stress, work, and ministry. It is a time for a shift in focus, to relax, and to recharge. It doesn’t have to be some far-away exotic destination; just shut off the phone, grab a good book, and relax!

For most of us, a vacation is an integral part of a healthy life rhythm. It is a time to reconnect with family and friends in a stress-free environment. It is a time when memories are created that give our children a sense of who they are and the values we have as a family. It is time spent together without the interruption of phone calls, emails, and work "emergencies" that probably aren't real emergencies!

In the book of Genesis, we read that God created the world and all that is in it in six days, and on the seventh day, he rested. God set the pattern for that disruption of constant work and gave us a reason for vacation. Yes, I know, you probably think I’m mixing up sabbath rest and worship with vacation, but I see some parallels.

Our bodies need physical rest, not just sleep, and time to re-orient our focus to other things. In our weekly sabbath rest, we lay aside the concerns of work and the world and focus on God. We worship, hear scripture preached, and fellowship with the body. On vacation, we tune out work and focus on family. Sabbath worship and rest draw us back to God and our relationship with him and the body, the church. Vacation draws us back to family and friends and the importance of relationships. We look forward to vacation, save for it, and enjoy it.

However, there is a caution here. Can the same be said for our sabbath rest each week? Do we long to be with the body, fellowshiping, sharing, worshipping, supporting, and encouraging one another? In an age where it is easy to “watch” church from the comfort of your couch or be selective because there are several churches, let us not develop a buffet mentality of picking and choosing what only meets our desires of the day. We would question someone who routinely gave up their vacation to do more work, to just get ahead. We must be as intentional in our weekly Sabbath and rest as we are in our vacation.

As the summer months arrive, many of us will take a vacation. Do it! Enjoy it! Create memories with your children, your family, and your friends. But let us be just as intentional with our weekly sabbath rest and worship! Do it! Enjoy it! Create a habit that rejuvenates your soul each week so that as you scatter, you become salt and light in a darkened world, shining bright as living witnesses to the power of the Gospel!

Shine bright!

Rev. Bill Allan
AGC President