On Vacation…With God

With this past weekend in the United States being Memorial Day Weekend, for many of us, this signals the beginning of summertime activities. June, July and August are often thought of as the vacation months. For those families with younger children school will be out soon. For others not tied to school schedules, summer is still a time when work vacations are taken and normal schedules are changed. Unfortunately, because we are creatures of habit, summertime sometimes means foregoing our prayer and Christian study habits because our daily routine has changed. For those reading this in the Southern Hemisphere where winter is beginning, this message is not just about summertime but about not forgetting God when our normal weekly regiment is disrupted anytime of the year.

In the United States, the Preamble to our Declaration of Independence states that “we are endowed by our Creator with certain inalienable rights, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” Boy do we take the pursuit of happiness seriously, with vacations and rest from work and school being a big part of that happiness. We all know from the book of Genesis that even God rested on the seventh day and I believe He wants us to have time to kick back and relax with our friends and families too.

We all know that our joys and happiness achieved through human pursuits even great vacations, are fleeting. They just don’t last long. On the other hand the joy our Lord wants us to experience lasts forever. Therefore we should take time, even on vacation, to connect with God and thank Him for all of our wonderful blessings. Many times we don’t experience the joy the Lord really wants for us because we don’t keep Him first in our lives. If we spend all of our time this summer traveling, playing, and sleeping, and enjoying the many blessings we have and yet give no time whatsoever to prayer, study and time with God we will miss out on the real joy and peace He has in store for us.

Have you ever noticed that many love songs written to describe the feelings between two people can, with a slight change of perspective, also be seen as a love song between God and us. After all God is love! It should not surprise us that the lyrics for many love songs often fit God.

With the risk of us forgetting to spend time with God during the summer months in mind, read the lyrics to the song “See You in September” which reached #3 on the charts as a big hit for the group The Happenings in 1966. Clearly the song was written to describe two people in love being separated during their summer vacation. This time however imagine God himself, singing these words to you personally. He is concerned you may forget Him this summer as you pursue other worldly loves.

See You In September

I’ll be alone each and every night

While you’re away don’t forget to write

See you in September

See you when the summer’s through

Here we are

Saying goodbye at the station

Summer vacation

Is taking you away

Have a good time but remember

There is danger in the summer moon above

Will I see you in September

Or lose you to a summer love

Does summertime find you saying goodbye to God at the station? What could become your summer love? What are those dangers that could take you away this summer from spending a little time in prayer and study? What could you do now to establish some summertime priorities and plans to assure you don’t abandon the one who loves you more than anyone?

The real danger at this time of the year is that while we are enjoying the blessings of the summertime sun, we forget they were gifts to us from the SON of the living God.

I am not suggesting we change our planned enjoyment of travel and family and friends; I am simply suggesting that while enjoying all these things we remain close to our true love until we get back to our routines in September. Here are some suggestions:

  • Start and finish each vacation day in prayer.
  • Pray together as a family or couple while on vacation.
  • Assign a family member to say a travel prayer before leaving and when returning from any vacation travels.
  • Set aside at least 10 minutes each day on vacation for scripture study.

These are just a few suggestions. How do you or your family make sure God is remembered all summer? Please write and share with me how you remain close to God during the summer. I will compile your ideas and share them with all the readers next week. Brian@4thdayletters.com

Lord, there are always dangers under the summer moon above. Please keep me and my family safely in your care and always close to you, amen!

Brian Pusateri
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