Summer is now in full swing. You know what that means: time for the family vacation. For some, it’s a quick weekend jaunt to a nearby campground. For others it means their dream vacation to Las Vegas or Disney World.
Whatever your vacation plans for this summer, enjoy them. Vacations give us a chance to spend quality time with our families. They help us recharge our batteries. Sometimes they are even restful (though usually I need a couple of days after my vacation to recover from vacation).
There is a danger, however, lurking within every summer vacation. No, I’m not talking about the danger of sunburn or pick-pockets. I am not talking about flat tires or stinky hotel rooms. I am talking about taking a vacation from God.
It happens so easily. At home we are in a routine. We say our prayers before meals and bedtime. We have family devotions. We get up on Sunday morning to go to church. God is part of our life – part of our routine.
But then we go on vacation. Prayers stop being said. Bibles get left at home. Sunday morning comes and goes without even a thought of God or church.
God never takes a vacation. The Bible tells us that he “never slumbers nor sleeps” (Psalm 121:4). Even while we are on vacation, God isn’t. He is there watching over us, blessing us and especially forgiving us. God never takes a vacation from you. So don’t take one from him.
This year when you pack for your vacation, throw your Bible or a devotional book in your suitcase. Ask your pastor before you go to give you the name and address of a nearby church. What a joy to worship with Christian brothers and sisters in another city, state or even country!
And if there isn’t a church nearby, you can do what my dad did one summer when I was eleven. We were camping in Montana, in the middle of nowhere. There were no churches nearby, so we did our own church. We sang a couple of hymns we all knew by heart. My dad read from the Bible and we talked about it as a family. We said the Lord’s Prayer and Apostle’s Creed together. We prayed that God would bless our trip – and he did!
That Sunday morning in Montana my dad taught me to never take a vacation from God – a lesson I hope to pass on to my children.
So, enjoy your vacations this summer. Get some fresh air. See new places. Recharge your batteries. But this year, don’t take a vacation from God!