I recently went to Charleston, South Carolina this past week to celebrate one year of marriage with my wife. It was a wonderful trip. My wife and I love the Southeast with its slow pace of life, beautiful moss covered trees, and sandy beaches along the coast. Coming back from the trip, I couldn’t help but think of the blessings of a good vacation. God truly uses all things to conform us to the image of His Son, and vacations are no different.

Good vacations remind you the world is full of God’s glory

My normal work day is incredibly predictable. I wake up in the same bed, get in my car, drive along the same road, park in a normal parking lot, walk the same sidewalk into the building, sit in my cubicle, and spend the day working on my computer monitors which stare lifelessly back at me.

It can be very difficult to remember the Bible says God’s glory fills the whole world when your world is so small. But Scripture repeatedly reminds the Christian that God’s glory is everywhere.

And one called out to another and said,
“Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts,
The whole earth is full of His glory.”

Isaiah 6:3, emphasis added

One of the blessings of a good vacation is it reminds you that this verse is actually true. When I am caught up in my “usual daily grind,” it is so easy to miss the glory that is all around me. It is so easy to want to get to my desk and computer instead of pondering how “the heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims His handiwork.”

Vacations give you a new place, a new context to see this reality. To “see and savor” God’s glory in the world you live in. Seeing new trees, going new places, tasting new foods in Charleston reminded me that God’s world is so much bigger and more glorious than the small corner where I live.

The best vacations give you a chance to enjoy God’s glory in a new place. Even vacations should become avenues to worship.

Good vacations increase your appreciation for the home you have

I don’t know why it is, but one of my favorite blessings of a good vacation is returning home. There is really no feeling like it. You have gone someplace new and enjoyed God’s glory in a new context. But something inside you longs to still go back to the familiar. And when you do, those day to day things you took for granted you start noticing again.

I personally have found myself thanking the Lord for “normal daily blessings” more after coming back from vacation. A job that I like. Coffee brewed myself instead of at a shop. Cooking a meal. Before vacation, these things can seem frustratingly normal and unexciting. But after wandering the wide world and returning to the comforts of your home, all of a sudden you appreciate those comforts all the more.

Before my wife and I left on vacation, we read a “Liturgy for Leaving on a Holiday” from “Every Moment Holy.” One of the ending passages sums up perfectly my feelings on vacations and returning home afterwards:

Bless our journey and our arrival.

Bless our days spent away.

And bless our eventual passage home, that we might return as those who have been revived…(with) strength renewed to shoulder once more the meaningful labor assigned to us in this season.

Every Moment Holy Volume 1, pp 72 Douglas Kaine McKelvey

Vacation revives you to see the meaningful work, meaningful life, meaningful location which the Lord has given you. Sometimes it takes leaving what we take for granted to grow our appreciation for what we have. Good vacations give you the opportunity to return home after your journey and take stock of “every good gift” the Lord has given you.

Good vacations give you the rest needed to keep running the race

Much more could be said about work and rest and how they are discussed in Scripture. One of the blessings of a vacation the rest you receive. Life can become very discouraging and overwhelming, even for a believer. Before I left for my vacation, I had probably the most stressful and discouraging day at work that I have ever had.

But a few days away has allowed me to return to my job with a proper attitude and energy to tackle the problems at hand. The best vacations, in my opinion, are not merely “trips” where you go someplace and fill every second of your schedule with things to see and do. Vacations in my definition should include an element of rest. Why? Because even the most zealous, ministry-minded believers sometimes need to pause.

And (Jesus) said to (His disciples), “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.

Mark 6:31 ESV

Even Jesus planned rest for Himself and His disciples. The best vacations don’t leave you feeling empty when you return home. Vacations are a way for you to catch your breath, refocus on the Lord, and then return home with renewed conviction and purpose.

The Lord can use vacations as a powerful tool to keep you running the race of faith with endurance.

Conclusion

There are certainly more blessings brought about through vacations. The three I have given here are just my personal reflections the day after I got back from Charleston. I have found myself noticing the glory of the Lord around me in creation more frequently, I have become more grateful for good gifts God has given me, and I feel rested and ready for the tasks God has given me.

My hope is that you too will reflect as you take vacations this summer. What is the Lord teaching you? How do vacations aid you in your ultimate purpose of glorifying God and enjoying Him forever? What is the spiritual benefit of this vacation?

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

1 Corinthians 10:31 ESV

May even our vacations become avenues to glorify our great God.

For more of my reflections on different life experiences, click here. This post discusses what God taught me from getting married in the middle of COVID. Be sure to follow The Average Churchman on Instagram!