We can have subtle anxiety about whether or not our upcoming holiday is going to deliver on what we expect. Will it rain every day? Will my flight be cancelled? Will I be able to truly switch off? Will I get along with family and friends?
The word holiday comes from the compound word ‘holy day’. And yet holiness and holidays are two things we don’t normally associate with one another. As summer holidays approach, I want to put the holy back into holiday and reflect on how we can get our expectations right and see our upcoming vacation through God’s eyes.
Sin Is Coming with You
We so long for a holiday to be that restful time away where we can just relax, but something will inevitably rear its head and ruin it, such as burst of anger. Whether caused by unmet expectations or ruined plans we erupt in frustration, spilling our disappointment onto others and saying things we regret. It catches us by surprise because we forget sin comes with us on holidays.
In my family, often there is an argument early on. I say things I regret and that gets me down because I feel like I have ruined the holiday. We can forget that no matter how organised we are, we cannot leave sin behind. But God has given us the wonderful gifts of repentance and forgiveness (for e.g. 1 Jn 1:9). When we say a genuine sorry for the unhealthy ways we have expressed our disappointments and unmet expectations, it can turn the worst of beginnings into a fresh new start.
Switch off; You Are Not God
When we try to be like our all-knowing, all-powerful, all-sufficient God, we don’t last very long. Do we continually check work emails, always having to be contactable? Do we keep checking in with what is happening back at the office? Do we keep notifications on social media, worried we might miss out on being in the know? Holidays are a wonderful time to preach to yourself the sermon— I am not God. God knows it all so I don’t have to. God is in control of it all, so I don’t need to be. God can do it all; I can’t. So rest.
Switch on; You Are a Worshipper
Holidays are a gift, when you are able to detach from the normal rhythm of the week and slow down. Unfortunately, God often gets left behind. For some, the habits of time in God’s word, prayer and attending church vanish. But that is to our detriment.
A tradition on our family holidays is after dinner I take my children down to the beach at sunset and tell them a Bible story. We pray and thank God for something we did that day. Then we play a quick game of Pictionary in the sand. I have found this simple habit has encouraged me and my family to continue being worshippers on holidays. It brings greater delight to the holiday as we enjoy God’s creation, prompts us to be thankful, and fosters gratitude for his provision.
Another holiday habit I have undertaken is to go for a walk along the beach or in the bush with—wait for it—no phone. Divorcing myself from my phone has enabled me to pay attention to other notifications: birds and flowers, sounds and smells. These in turn alert me to God’s presence as the Maker and Sustainer fuelling my worship and wonder of Him (see Ps 69:34).
Long for More
Some of us love to plan holidays. Some will even plan the next holiday whilst on holiday (I confess this is me). Behind our planning is a desire for hope. Hope that though we are going back into the chaos of normal life, another holiday is on the horizon. But rather than just planning for the next holiday, can I encourage you to remember the greater holiday that awaits? Perhaps you could take the time to journal and reflect upon what you are specifically looking forward to about eternal life. The new heavens and the new earth is described in Revelation like an amazing travel brochure (Rev 21–22), all there to evoke your imagination, to take you breath away at the splendour of your future.
Coming Home
One of my favourite images of heaven is Jesus’ saying that he is preparing “a place [room] for you” (Jn 14:3). God is getting your eternal forever home ready, right now. When you return home from holidays and something deep within you says, “Ah it’s good to be home!” remember that is what entering eternal life will be like.
Holidays are coming. Will they be happy or not, who knows? What is more important is to find the holy within your holidays as you look forward to the eternal one.
