Throughout the long winter we have been dreaming about how we will get away from it all. Whether it’s kids dreaming about a two-month summer break or families planning a week or even a weekend away, we long for a change of pace. But with all the changes of summer, we find ourselves altering not only our schedules but the way we think and the way we behave.
Unfortunately, it seems that those breaks from everyday life give us more opportunities to lose our focus on God. One way we do that is to go away over a weekend and not go to church. I don’t mean to be harsh, but even though it’s healthy to get away from the daily grind, it’s unhealthy to take a break from God, even for a weekend. It’s especially bad for families because it gives children the idea that taking a break is more important than worshipping the One who has given us everything. So, if you’re planning to be gone over a weekend, visit the church office and look at the “Directory of the Ministry,” which lists our sister churches all across the country; then you can plan to worship with the extended family of Christ wherever you go.
Another way we lose our focus on God occurs when we travel. I have to admit that travelling at 70 mph for several hours in a small metal box is not a family builder. Not only that, but many vacation activities have a way of stirring up our sinful nature: waiting in lines, paying for meals, wanting this or that from gift shops; it seems that vacations are also havens for temptation. Many of these temptations get the best of us, and we lose our focus on God.
Regardless of how it might happen, we must remember that we are still examples to the world. So when it’s time to go “up north” or when the kids start getting the gimmes and wants at the next tourist trap, remember Paul’s words in Philippians 2:14, 15: “Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe.