Christian Articles Archive
Vacating
by Dr. Ralph F. Wilson
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The British call it "going on holiday." We Americans
look forward to our "vacation." And God knows we need
it. There is something about the way He made us that can get wound
up like a spring, so tight it'll break unless we get away, unwind,
and relax. Often a few days is enough. Sometimes it can take
a full week or two before the tension drains out and we feel completely
stress free.
It's going back to work that's difficult. You're out of the habit.
How many times have you come back after a vacation and said,
"It just didn't last long enough!" You struggle to
make yourself wake up on time the following Monday. You haul
yourself out of bed, get dressed, make coffee, pull out of the
driveway, and drag yourself into work. You're there, in body
anyway.
It's hard, but we do it because we need to. That's how life is.
All vacations come to an end. Otherwise, we'd be bums.
There's an interesting old Celtic word, "truant," that
meant "vagrant" or "beggar." You know what
I mean. The kind of people who hold up signs that say "Will
work for food" but you never see them working. These days
"truant" means "one who stays away from business,
school, etc. without leave; one who shirks his duty."
Which brings me to thinking about church. Maybe three weeks ago
you packed up the car and went on vacation. It's time to be back
in church this Sunday. Or maybe it's been since June that you
attended regularly. What? It's been years? Habit. You're out
of the habit.
We know that to please our employers we need to appear front and
center and ready to work. Since when does Jesus get less respect
than your boss? Since when should the work of His kingdom go
undone because you've been playing hooky?
There's something seductive about those Club Med commercials:
sleepy, tanned bodies on air mattresses bobbing ever-so-gently
on calm waters. But there's a time to check out of the hotel
and come on home.
It's funny. Some people relax by doing absolutely nothing. They
are the stuff couch potatoes are made of. Others relax wonderfully
in a completely different kind of environment, like working out
in the garden. A change-of- pace is just what the doctor ordered.
Now here's a twist. If you've been away from church "on
vacation," more than likely your spirit has gotten thin and
dry and stressed out. Empty. Vacated. Maybe in church this
coming Sunday your spirit will finally get a break, a breath of
fresh air, a real vacation. Maybe church is the vacation, the
refreshing change-of-pace, you've been needing all this time.
It is time to come back, isn't it. See you Sunday.
Copyright © 1985-2012, Ralph F. Wilson. <pastor
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