How to Follow Christ on Vacation
It was August, and a new semester was about to begin. I was at a leadership retreat with other Christian college students, and we were tasked to talk about how we had pursued our faith the previous summer. I froze. That guilty feeling came over me. The guilt that comes from feeling like a fraud. As I heard how others had shared their faith and dug into previously unknown theological topics, I sat there knowing that I had essentially put my faith on pause that summer.
As I confessed this to the group, I felt sorrowful, but I also felt frustrated. It’s not like I was rebelling against God. I was just out of sync. This has been a pattern in my life that has extended beyond college semesters. The way God has wired me, I’m really good at structuring my life around spiritual activities. It’s when I’m out of rhythm, when that structure is thrown off, that I no longer recognize myself.
Maybe you can relate to this. That’s why I’ve decided to tackle this topic today. Because with summer comes summer vacations, long stretches where we will be out of the rhythms of normal life. I think the million-dollar question is this: What does God expect of me in these situations? How can I follow Christ when I’m on vacation? Let’s talk about it.
The Two Extremes
I don’t think we can do this topic justice without acknowledging that we often oscillate between two extremes. On one side, we have the depiction I gave you of myself in college. When the structure of life goes away, so does faith. This might look like not bringing your Bible on a vacation. Or overhearing a spiritual conversation and choosing to ignore it. This extreme not only takes a vacation from work, but a vacation from spirituality.
On the other side is the guilty voice of our consciences. The busyness of spirituality stems from the belief that God has nothing better to do than keep tabs on us. He looks down from Heaven and is very pleased that we have brought our Bibles and that we are keeping an ear open for spiritual conversations. This extreme sees faith as a checklist and God as a teacher.
I believe that both these extremes fall short, because both these extremes paint God and His commands as something they are not. The “Do Nothing” extreme is the result of a belief that God’s ways are ultimately a burden. Looking back, I know this is why my faith took a pause during the summer in my college days. I would have never said it out loud, but this is what was going on in my heart. People say that character is who you are when no one is watching, and I think the same is true with our faith. How we follow Jesus when no one is watching shows what we really believe about Him.
If I could encourage or challenge someone in the “Do Nothing” camp (including myself a decade ago), I would share with them the simple truth of 1 John 5:3: “In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome.” What is your genuine reaction to that last sentence? Are you burdened by reading your Bible? Ask God today to show you why that is, and how seeing Him for who He really is might help you pursue Him.
However, the last thing I want for someone in the “Do Nothing” camp is to swing to the other extreme of “Do Everything”. You see, the other extreme is no better. These extremes are actually two sides of the same coin! They may look very different, but both extremes, at their hearts, are trusting in their own efforts to please God. Both extremes view God’s commands as burdensome. The only difference is that while the “Do Nothing” person feels depressed by their lack of activity, the “Do Everything” person feels exhilarated, like God must be so pleased with them. One avoids God because His commands feel crushing; the other performs for God to prove their worth.
The truth the “Do Everything” person needs to acknowledge is that God is pleased with them, but it has nothing to do with their keeping of the religious rules. This is the gospel: that God is pleased with us solely because of what Jesus did at the cross. Now, as a result, we are able to pursue spiritual activities, not to earn God’s love, but because of what He has already done for us. Whether we are in the rhythms of life or on a month-long vacation, God is calling us to engage with Him through spiritual practices, not to earn something, but in response to the love He showed us at the cross.
Final Thoughts
So, how do we follow Christ on vacation? We follow Christ by first and foremost keeping our eyes on the gospel. When we get this foundational belief right, the works will follow. When we remind ourselves that we are already acceptable to God, we are reminded of why we would want to spend time with Him in the first place! When we remind ourselves of where we were before God found us, our hearts begin to break for the strangers on the cruise ship around us. It is the gospel that compels us toward spiritual activity. It is the gospel that pushes us out of our comfort zones, to say, “Yes, I may be on vacation, but what Jesus has done is so tied to my identity, I cannot just put Him on the shelf.”
So, you had a packed day and weren’t able to open your Bible. You know what? That’s okay. Maybe after a long day with the extended family, you didn’t have the emotional energy for a spiritual conversation. That’s okay, too. The goal isn’t perfection or performance, but relationship.
My encouragement to you is to bring God along for the vacation. Yes, this means spiritual practices, but it also means reflecting your gratitude back to Him. Thank Him for the opportunity to see such a beautiful place. Thank Him for giving you the means to take a break from the busyness of life. When we invite God to our vacations, I believe the result will be true rest, the Sabbath rest that God longs for His children to enjoy.
Questions to Consider
Think about yourself on vacation. Do you identify more with a “Do Nothing” or “Do Everything” person?
What might your posture toward God on vacation say about your attitude toward faith? What might God be trying to show you? What burdens might He be trying to lift?
How can you creatively “bring God along” on your next vacation?
Scripture to Ponder
2 Timothy 4:1-2: “In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season.”
1 Peter 3:15: “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.”
Mark 6:31: “Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.””
Matthew 11:28: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
Ecclesiastes 2:24-25: “A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, 25 for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment?”
