Vacation?

Vacation
So, according to Wikipedia (yes, I know not exactly the source of all truth, but rather handy just the same) the idea of Vacations started in Europe based on certain harvest times.


The idea was frowned upon by the Puritans (they saw work as spiritual and to take a break from it for anything other than Sunday was to take a break from God). I can see their point but can also disagree with it.


Check out the Old Testament- God decreed several week long religious holidays where people took a break from work.
In the New Testament, Jesus often took time alone with the Father.
In almost every ancient culture Vacations were religious in nature.


I think they were on to something.
Now in our culture most of us have the luxury of taking a Vacation for whatever reason we want.
We might need time away from work,
time with our family,
time away from our family,
want to see an event,
want to see a place,
etc...


I don't have a problem with any of those reasons. I take vacation for some of those reasons.


But for the Christian, I think a Spiritual Vacation is as important or more important than any other.


I am fortunate that I can have both kinds of vacations and the truth is almost any member of a church can too.


Every year I volunteer to chaperon a group of teenagers to a Christian youth camp. Not only does mentoring young people help me to focus more on God but all the messages are relevant to me as well. Fortunately the camp we attend is also geared to provide sessions for the adult who attend.


We spend time working on how to be intentional and purposeful in our lives. Working on how to be honest in your walk with Christ, how to reach out to others, how to use the Scripture as your guide for all of this and getting hold of the idea that prayer is the life breath of Christian living.


We have time to pray and study alone.
We have time to discuss all these ideas with others.
We have time to pray with others.
We have time to do outreach work in the community.

It is a life changing time. (Okay the fact that we meet on a mountain top doesn't hurt either)


Most Churches do not require their chaperons pay the full price of attendance and sometimes you can go for free. You can help with Children's groups, youth, senior adults, etc... What ever group God turns your heart toward.
Also many Churches are in larger groups that have retreat centers. You can attend individual retreats or family retreats. These can be from weekends to whole weeks. They are usually half the cost of a traditional vacation.


side note:
I know short-term missions might come to mind in this discussion, and they can accomplish many of the same things in your heart, but I see them as a separate category. I think if you go into a short-term mission trip with the idea of looking for spiritual retreat and renewal for yourself, you may have the wrong perspective. Biblical mission trips were initiated by God through the Holy Spirit for the purposes of reaching lost souls and strengthening the Church in area one traveled to. Those who were called were God's choice for those jobs. This is always the pattern in the New Testament. Not once did those men say "Wow, I would love to see "X" place and I can really help the poor there, let's go".  Those going did not see those trips as retreats but time of intense Spiritual labor for those gifted in the work and their apprentices.




Back to Spiritual retreats and vacations:
The key to a successful Spiritual Vacation is PRAYER.
Let's face it the key to successful anything in Christian life is PRAYER.
Why?
Because a large part of prayer is acknowledging you have no power to make anything happen.
God does.


Plan a retreat or chaperon one because it seemed like a good idea and I will guarantee you disappointment.


Every time.


Ask God where and how to retreat with Him, wait for His confirmations, follow His lead and blessing will flow.


If God wants you to take a vacation with Him, He can and will provide a way.