To some, that’s a dirty word. It becomes a dirty word for those who don’t know how to deal with it properly. I know. I used to be that person.
I’m a “Type A” person, meaning if I’m not busy, I’m not happy. I must constantly be occupied or I simply don’t know how to function. I used to be the Program Director of our local radio station back in Ohio. Whenever vacation time came around, I would work feverishly to get as much work done as possible for the time I was going to be gone, and then work all kinds of extra hours after we returned to catch up on whatever I may have missed.
That, my friends, is no way to treat a vacation. Vacation was never designed to be that all-too-short period of time that comes sandwiched between an overload of work.
Vacation is a time to forget the world, get away, and relax with the ones you love the most. If you are single, this is a golden opportunity to visit family and friends, or maybe even get away alone. As long as you escape the every day grind, you’re time off will be a real treat.
If you are married with children, as I am, this time is total devotion to your spouse and children. Diane and the boys get ALL of my time. Anything less would be unfair to them. Being a Pastor, there is always the temptation to constantly check emails and phone messages from afar. After all, being the shepherd of a flock is a 24/7/365 responsibility, right? No. If I fail to model what it means to be a Christian husband and father, then what lessons am I teaching the flock with my life? Sorry, but this week, it’s just me and my great gift from God; Diane, Derek, and Douglas.
If God’s word instructs us to be still and know who He is, then we must take this to a personal level and create some ‘still’ times in our own lives for Him and for ourselves. Enjoy your vacation. I promise you that I’ll be enjoying mine!
Leave a Reply