How many of you need a vacation? I know I do. My vacations are typically a week or so in duration a couple of times a year interspersed with some long weekends throughout. Some of you because of your jobs take all your vacation at one time. Some of you can choose when and how much vacation you can take. In Europe there are come companies that give their employees 2-3 months of vacation. And there are others that have taken permanent vacations (retirement) and these people are vacationing all the time.

I know of a man who led a nation that was sensitized to the needs of his workers and gave them the most generous vacation that I know of. In I Kings 5:14, we read, “He sent them off to Lebanon in shifts of ten thousand a month, so that they spent one month in Lebanon and two months at home. They worked in Lebanon cutting wood for one month and then had two months off to be at home. If you figure that out it adds up to 8 months of vacation and 4 months work. Not bad. Yet the person in charge of this project was the one and only Solomon, the wisest person who has ever lived. He knew how to keep up the moral of the workers by allowing them to recover from the time away from their families.

Throughout history, beginning with the creation of the world, God has encouraged and commanded us to take some time away from our busy schedules. We need down time to refresh our minds and our bodies for the work that we are called to do. Vacation should allow us to reflect on our past and prepare for the future. It needs to be a time to reconnect with the most important relationships in our lives. God. Spouse. Self. Children. Friends.

The question today centers around whether you are taking time to re-energize your batteries.  Do you have time set aside on a regular basis to do vacation for yourself and for your family?

On this journey, times of detour to rest and refresh are critical in accomplishing all that God has for us to do.