On Vacation

It’s summer time! Time to relax, refresh, and get all those chores done around the house that you have put off all winter. And time to take that long awaited Vacation.

As a kid my parents took us on two kinds of vacations. Sometimes we went to visit family, and places that were familiar. Grandma’s house in Kansas was familiar and fun, and we were comfortable and well-fed (body and soul) on those vacations. We got to know our cousins, aunts and uncles, and learned about the history and traditions of our family. How else do you learn to make home-made ice cream or taffy? The drive was long, but we knew when it would end, because we had made the trip before. Family vacations were safe and predictable, but important to the building of relationships that make a family.

Other times we went out to see the world: I think my folks tried to get to all the National Parks and National Monuments in the Western States. We would pile into the Suburban at 6:00 in the morning, and promptly fall back asleep. Every once in a while dad would yell, “Wake up and look at something!” We would look out the window and look at the sand, or the trees, or the mountains, and wonder what it was we were looking at. Dad wanted us to experience the journey, to see this beautiful country that God has made. And while I know we whined the whole time, I still remember seeing the stone bridges at Arches National Monument, the vastness of the Grand Canyon, the stark beauty of White Sands. I know more about my country, and tend to think the whole thing is beautiful and important because of those vacations.

Which vacation are you taking this summer? Are you visiting family and friends, staying in your comfort zone, and being personally well-fed? Or are you going out to see the world? Are you ready to experience all that God has made, even if the journey is arduous and the food is different? Both vacations are important. Wherever your go, take time to experience God’s world and the people God has placed in your path.