“OH MAN … I sure do need a vacation.” How often have you wearily said that or heard it from someone else? Nothing wrong with wanting a vacation, but truth is, that’s not REALLY what you need. More than just a break from work and routine, you need a time to reconnect with God, a time to reconnect with your spouse/family, and to reconnect with the true you.
When we say, “I need a vacation!” much of the time we are really dealing with symptoms of our busy, disconnected lives. That’s why so many people (including me once or twice) end up coming home and agonizing, “I think I need a vacation from my vacation.”
We spend so much of our time chasing things, doing, striving, trying to enjoy life, trying to get so much done. We carry that same perspective into our vacation, and vacation ends up with us just chasing things and doing things, trying to suck every drop out of it. Vacation is quickly over and we aren’t home long before we realize we’re still weary.
This past week Patty and I were fortunate to get away for a few days. A few days with no schedule. No place we had to go. No trying to have fun. Simple.
It was a superb time for reflection and reconnecting with God, Patty, and me. I feel stronger and more secure in the key areas of my life. This led to me spending extended time in the following areas:
Solitude. I spent plenty of time alone, reflecting on my life past, present, and future. I listened to God’s Spirit speaking to me as I read His Word and had unrushed time to hear.
Evaluation. How are things in the key areas of my life? What can be improved? What should I adjust? Stop? Start?
Dreaming. What does God think my marriage, family, and work should look like in the next six months? What does He want to accomplish in me and through me?
Refocusing. What do I want and need to do (and GET to do) when I get back home?
Reconnecting in this way is so good for my soul. I believe based on the way God works it can be beneficial for everyone to disconnect from the normal for a few days and reconnect with Who and what is most important.
The wisdom of the ages tells us, “Guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it” (Prov. 4:23). You and everyone around you will be forever grateful you did.