Can you say road trip? Thankful for the opportunity to travel with family to see family and friends. Vacations; big or small or long or short; are memory makers. We have a lengthy trip out to an Iowa farm where there will be four generations. This time will go by too quickly. It’s peaceful in Iowa (there’s nothing there but cornfields!). Next, we’ll

travel to the Arches of St. Louis, the tallest man-made monument in the U.S. I’ll see friends from college, who got married and had children. Haven’t seen them in a few years so looking forward to that and getting our kids together. And of course going up in the Arch. Then, we’ll see some friends from seminary. They always told us in seminary that you’ll make life-long friends there because your peers will understand the dynamics of pastoral ministry like no others. Whoever “they” was, they were right. So, we’ll see them and then after a day or so we will make our way back East.

So, my point is this: Do vacations. Often. God gave you the relationships of family & friends for a reason – to love each other and lead them to love God. It’s called life. Live it for His glory and every day will be like a vacation.

I know I am a blessed man. I have a great family with a loving wife, beautiful children; terrific friends; a fulfilling career/calling with a grace-filled church. On the outside it looks like everything is perfect. But I want to remind myself, and anyone reading, it’s not. The reason is because there is no such thing as a perfect family or a perfect friend. There are challenges, crisis, confusion, conflict but in it all there is Christ. Through the context of relationships you discover the concept of grace. I fail others and they disappoint me. But when our broken lives  are mended by the love and grace of a Perfect God they find a depth of satisfaction that is incomparable in this world. My heart aches for eternity where such relationships will be full and most of all that my faith will be complete, sanctified, glorified and in the presence of my Savior (1Cor 13:12-13). In all, I am thankful for God’s generous grace that has been lavished in my life. I do not deserve any of it. So, each day I turn to Him in thankful worship. And getting away from the everyday routines of life help bring me back to this perspective.

When is your next family vacation?