We are on the verge of entering the vacation season. It is the time of year when people will travel all over the country and even the world to see sights, enjoy good food, and spend time with family. 

I am all in favor of vacation. My family and I plan on taking one the first week of August. Go. Enjoy. Have fun. And we at the Church will miss you so don’t forget to return to us soon. 

This summer can be a time to rest and reconnect. But may I also suggest that it is an excellent time to refocus. 

Throughout the Old Testament, the people are told to take a sabbath. That is the practice of taking off Saturday and doing no work. It was a time to rest. On top of that, the people of God had three different festivals that required them to take a week off work to spend time celebrating all that God had done for his people. God favors us taking time away from work, but it was primarily for them to refocus. 

The people of God were not taking a week to focus on self-indulgence. Instead, they were taking it to get their head clear and to make God the center of their lives again. They needed a reminder that God could run the world without them, and they needed him above all else. 

I hope you allow your vacation this summer to move you closer to God and not further away.