Making Summer Vacation a Sacred Time

Dear Friends,

There are no vacations mentioned in the bible. Travel, yes. Journeys are part of the stuff of Scripture. If vacations are not mentioned in the Scriptures, “rest” certainly is.

On the 7th day, God rested. (Gen.2.2-3) That call to rest became a much-appreciated part of Israelite life. Six days of intense labor. One day of rest. From Genesis to Jesus, rest was an expected part of the week’s end. Jesus also encouraged His disciples to rest. After they had been on the road, preaching and healing, He encouraged them to go off to a quiet place to rest. (Mark 6.31) And again: Come to me all you who labor and are burdened and find rest for your souls. (Mt. 11. 28-30)

Not all vacations are restful. Some are downright frenetic: stressful departure, long rides, detours, getting lost, traffic holdups, stops for scenic views and overlooks, interactions with other people, short travel breaks at rest stops, things lost, long lines to get into a venue. How about yours?

Maybe you have never thought of summer vacation as sacred time. But it is. It is time dedicated to the restoration of life, energy, vision, amazement, awareness of the truths of the lives of people you meet along the way.

Places where we visit for the scenic beauty may also be holy places to the people who have been there before us. God is there. Has always been there. One day, people realized it and set up markers to remind others who came along later that God is there.

In the Book of Joshua, the Israelites put up 12 pitched stones when they reached the Jordan River to tell future generations “This is where we crossed over.” Centuries later, those who marched across the Edmund Pettis Bridge in Selma, AL on Bloody Sunday, 1965, echoed the Israelites. They too put up 12 pitched stones near the far side of the bridge where they had been brutally attacked with the exact same caption: “This is where we crossed over.” (Jos.4.22)

When on vacation, don’t leave God home. While traveling, say brief but heartfelt praise for the majesty you see, the breadth and width and depth of what you experience. When possible on a weekend, find a church and take an hour of time to rest in the Lord, breathing in the atmosphere of another House of God, worshipping with brothers and sisters you just met. You might find it a refreshing part of your vacation.

One of our modern temptations is to take bundles of photographs and miles of videos on vacation. We miss much of the experience that way. Photographs and videos are worthy souvenirs, but so are postcards.

Among our recently coined words is “staycation” for when we can’t get away. Daytrips help make it a true vacation. Ask yourself what would truly refresh you as you stay at home. Jaime Kurtz, psychology professor at James Madison University, is quoted in the New York Times, advising that, with regard to a staycation, we ask ourselves, “If I were moving away soon, what would I most want to do before I go and who would I most want to see?”

And finally, here’s a brief prayer from the ancient Carmina Gadelica of the Celts of Scotland to keep in mind as you travel:

            God over me, God under me,
            God before me, God behind me,
            I on Thy path, O God,

                    Thou, O God, in my steps.

~Sister Joan Sobala