Daily Devotional

Growing up in Chicago, Wisconsin was considered our ‘backyard’. If you drive 20 minutes north, you hit the Wisconsin state line. There are countless lakes for water skiing and fishing, water parks for body slides, tube slides, and lazy rivers; amusement parks for roller coasters; regular parks for picnics; and golf courses for frustration.

The last two weeks of July each year, my Dad, Mom, brothers and sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents all vacationed together in Wisconsin. We took over a resort called Sommer’s Resort on Sand Lake in Hayward, Wisconsin. We'd leave at 6:00 in the morning with a caravan of 5 cars, a motorboat, a sailboat, and an RV. We’d all be linked together by CB radios, and all the drivers had a handle (a handle was a nickname you used when you talked on the CB). My Dad was ‘Boatman’, my uncle was ‘Music Man’, my aunt was ‘Meadow Muffin’, one grandpa was ‘Electric Snake’ and the other grandpa was ‘Buffalo Chip’ (it’s amazing I still remember that). After the six-hour journey north, we’d pile into the resort, unload the luggage and get set up. Each morning the guys would go golfing. Each afternoon we’d waterski. We’d all have dinner together, pushing all the picnic tables together to fit everyone, each family bringing part of the meal to make it complete. Then in the evening we’d go fishing, always hoping to catch a muskie, walleye or northern pike, but mostly we caught perch, crappies and sunfish. There was always enough fish to have a big fish fry at the end of the second week.

This two-week vacation was so important during my growing up years. We got a chance to rest. We made memories. We took tons of pictures. We developed family relationships. And to this day when we get everyone together, someone will inevitably bring up something they remember from one of these vacations.

So, are vacations biblical? The Bible doesn’t say anything about vacations, but it does say a lot about rest. And ultimately, that’s what vacation is supposed to be, a time of rest. In Genesis 2:2–3 God rested from creating. In Exodus 20:8–11, God tells His people that they are to rest from their work on the seventh day. And Jesus never took a vacation from His ministry, but He did take time to rest and told His disciples to do the same. Mark 6:31 says, And He said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest a while.”

It’s important to remember that rest is a human need. God created us to work and rest, which includes getting a good night’s sleep. Yet rest is not our purpose in life. We are called to work. Ephesians 5:15–16 says “Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil.”

Do you need a vacation? If you’ve been working hard with very little rest, maybe it’s time you took one. God did not design us to work constantly. We have to find time to rest.

One thing to consider when planning a vacation is how much money you want to spend. It’s important to set-aside money for vacation, and to make sure that you’re spending your money wisely. A good vacation does not have to be expensive. You can purchase a tent and head to the mountains, or to the beach. You can do an overnight in Yosemite or Lake Tahoe. You could even do a ‘home vacation’, where you take off work, sleep in, do day trips, and have fun with the many activities available in the Fresno area. But keep in mind, a good vacation must be restorative to our souls and help us continue to work for the Lord. And it’s also a time to remind us that our dependence is on God, not ourselves.

That doesn’t mean vacations always have to be inexpensive. It’s not wrong to spend money on an experience. The opportunity to travel overseas, experience a different culture, develop shared memories and relationships bring joy to life that makes it well worth it. But make sure you consider the cost. There’s nothing worse than coming home from vacation and then a month later getting those credit card statements, realizing you’ve put yourself in debt. Because at that point, the fun’s over.

So, vacations are not only acceptable for Christians to take, they are important to our well-being, because they include rest. And no matter what you do, it’s important to remember Colossians 3:17 which says “Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.”

New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation