holidays

We all like holidays and times just to rest (today being Labor Day in the United States, has become basically a day of rest or the last breath of vacation before school and Fall activitites begin or are in full swing). We need them.

At the same time I find that after some good rest, if I don't make seeking God and his will intentional during those times, then I tend to drift and lose whatever spiritual edge I may have attained to by grace before.

It seems like in the challenge of the normal daily routine, it is easier for me to be tuned in and honed on spiritual disciplines, not just because I'm practicing self-discipline, but more like because I both need and want to be living as one in Christ and in the community of God in Christ, knowing this is how I must live, and that really this is our life in Christ in this world.

Holidays, while a needed blessing I believe, also can end up being a timeout from how we live, in that sense dangerous, while in the sense of a timeout from the normal routine for rest and enjoyment, healthy.

It is especially wonderful to get out and enjoy God's good creation, and that alone can be an antidote to the dangers of drifting from God and grace during a holiday. Another good antidote is to visit family and friends around some grilling. These things can help me stay on track in God.

Too many times though, if nothing out of the ordinary is going on, and wife has to work, as has been true for us this weekend, then I must make the best of it, and seek to intentionally draw near to God in a special way. I need it!

Well, just some ramblings about holidays and really related to my struggle during this beautiful weekend and past weekends like it. I hope each of you have, or had a good day today with some fun (I'm assuming most readers will be from the United States).

How do you enjoy your holidays or vacation times? And how do you avoid the danger of drifting spiritually during those times?