Should Christians
Take Vacation?
By Pastor Charlie
As most of you
know, Kim and I returned on Tuesday from a three-week vacation. By God’s grace
and your generosity, the vocational pastors of GCF are given four weeks of
vacation each year, and for this we are grateful to the Lord and you. When I’m
on vacation, I unplug as much as possible from e-mail, phone calls, and social
media. Yet, this year I still heard several stories that caused me to ask the
question, “Is it right for Christians to take vacation?”
The first story was
about an Indian Pastor who was bound and beat to death because he refused to
stop preaching the gospel. The second story was of a young couple and their
three children who were in the final stages of traveling to Japan to serve as career
missionaries when their lives were cut short by a car accident. The third story
was of some gospel opportunities that have opened up in some restricted
countries where Jesus is seldom preached.
Again, as I
pondered each of these stories, the question began to grip my heart: “Is it
right for Christians to take vacation?” And to be clear, this question isn’t
just for vocational Christian workers but for everyone who has been born again
by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. Since the gospel needs in the world are
so urgent and the time is so short and the consequences are eternal, how can we
justify taking personal time away from Kingdom-advancing labor? Here’s a very
brief sketch of my answer.
Assuming that we
agree that the purpose of vacation is to draw away with Christ and draw upon
his grace and resources for life, I see six reasons why it’s good and even
necessary. (1) Vacation shows our dependence upon Christ. It shows our
desperate need for his presence and mercy and power in our lives. It shows that
without him we can do nothing. (2) Vacation shows our submission to Christ who
himself would often draw away with his Father. Of course, Jesus never took a
full vacation, but then his ministry only lasted three or four years. Had his
ministry lasted longer, I am confident that he would have taken longer times to
draw away with his Father. (3) Vacation shows that Kingdom work is Christ’s
work and that though he uses us, he doesn’t need us in the strictest sense of
the word “need.” (4) Vacation shows that we’re part of a global body of Kingdom
workers and that Kingdom work is not dependent on any one person. (5) Vacation
affords us the time to reflect on our lives in Christ and make necessary
adjustments. (6) Vacation prophesies of our time of dying when we will vacate
this earth and be with Christ forever!
When properly
practiced, I believe that vacation is a glory to Christ and a gift to the body
of Christ. So let us “vacate” with intentionality and a spirit of prayer. Let
us seek Christ, renew our spirits in Christ, and then return with renewed vigor
to serve Christ, his people, and the lost until our dying day.
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