Summer 2021 is a weird time, amen? 

More than half the world is still grappling with successive waves of infection by Covid 19 and its aggressive mutations; millions of people are struggling to cope with deaths, lost economic opportunity, and lack of access to vaccines. 

The rest of us are just desperate to cure our cabin fever and get away…

This stark contrast between global haves and have nots feels suffocating to me, the injustice and capriciousness of geopolitics writ large. But it’s also started to seem “normal,” hasn’t it? A grandiose version of the silo-ed, us-against-them, locked in our respective echo chambers existence that became “normal” for too many last year.

The Lucky Few with Cabin Fever

Those of us privileged to go in search of summer escapes face a few challenges: each other. Headlines point to opportunistic price inflation across the whole “vacation industry” – plane fare, rental cars, hotels, etc. Stir crazy after a year of lockdowns and sheltering in place, there is pent-up demand for escape / change of scene, and people are eagerly ponying up premium payments for the privilege of being somewhere else… almost anywhere else.

The allure of leaving home for rest and relaxation during summer months certainly predates the pandemic. Countless plays, books and movies (from “Grease” to “High School Musical 2” to “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” to “Bonjour Tristesse”) attest to this fact. But this year, there’s an edge to our longstanding longing… a hard-to-repress frenzy.

I get it. As my own family packs and preps for departure next week, giddy anticipation makes even laundry exciting. (Honestly.)

But as I eye the diminishing number of days between now and time to go, I acknowledge that what I really need this year is the same thing as I need every other year. 

And what I need, truly, is less a change of scene than a change of soul.

Vacations and other voids

Americans use the word “vacation” more than other people. Europeans and Brits talk about “holidays”; Australians go “walkabout”; and less than 14% of all Chinese employees took any “paid time off” at all in the last three years. 

In this diversity of cultural attitudes toward non-work-time, it troubles me that we Yanks speak as if the point is vacancy.

Think about it: literally, to “take a vacation” means to “lay hold of that which is vacant”. Contrast that with the literal meaning of “holiday” – “holy day”, sanctified time set apart from “ordinary time.”

If what I want from my vacation is rest for my soul, I need to be intentional about appropriating the holiday concept. 

What transforms a vacation into a holiday? Several key things, I think. 

First, seeing vacation time as Sabbath – a gift of set-apartness with God. God designed us to need rest. That need is woven into the fabric of our beings. In our 24/7 culture of work and play-as-work, we can forget that we aren’t made to work without resting! Vacation time is a precious reminder that the One who made us, made us to need rest… and that we can rest in Him.

Second, translating that Sabbath-template into time with Jesus. Real, dedicated time with Jesus. Bible study. Prayer. Listening. Inviting those with whom you are vacationing to join you in enjoying Jesus. Singing hymns and praise songs together. Doing arts and crafts projects that feature scripture. Being intentional about being grateful, and seeing / speaking the truth: this vacation is a gift from God.

Third, unplugging. Literally. Putting a vacation message on email. Detaching from all news and social media feeds. Warning closest pals that the phone will be off for an extended period. Focusing on where you physically are, and whom you’re physically with.

Fourth, eating together. If that’s a routine already, wonderful. If it’s not, putting the effort into planning, prepping, and sitting down to table all at the same time will make vacation mealtimes holiday-special.

Fifth, spending time in Creation. Turning away from the man-made world of concrete, glass, and steel; turning toward the God-made world. Noticing all the ways that the glory and majesty of Creation point to the Creator. Sunrises and sunsets – woods and flowers – the beach – the birds – such beauty is deeply, profoundly refreshing.

Finally, sleeping well. Investing in resting well physically translates to dividends in resting well spiritually. We are “fearfully and wonderfully made” – and integrated in our beings, the physical connected to the mental, emotional, and spiritual in undeniable ways. When we ignore that fact, we hurt more than our bodies.

Prioritizing 8 hours a night may sound “un-vacation-y”, but getting ample z’s means the holiday can have its full – holy –  effect.

Holidays 2021: Revival?

If you are among those fortunate enough to take a vacation this year, I encourage you to take the “holiday” approach and see what happens. If enough of us spend our time apart seeking God and being refreshed by God, what couldn’t God do with and through us when we’re all back to work?!

Safe travels, all – but also meaningful, soul-satisfying travels. 

Holy days. 

A summer of holidays. 

Amen.