By Pastor Devin Strong, Spirit of Peace Lutheran Church.
As we move further into June, I can’t help thinking about summer vacations. Historically speaking, when people take a vacation from their usual day-to- day activities, they attend church less often. Whether or not we occasionally “vacation” from church during the summer (I always encourage my parishioners to try and find a place to worship wherever they are), it’s important that we don’t “vacation” from God. One of my missions is to try and help people look at the world through eyes of faith, so I often ask folks: “Where did you see God this week?” When summer vacation alters our routines (including church attendance), it can be helpful to contemplate some insightful questions. Whether we’re on a long car ride or just relaxing with our friends and family at Tybee, we can ask ourselves – and those with us – questions such as: What made you laugh recently? Did you help somebody or, did somebody help you?
What can we be praying for, or about, while we’re on our break? Another excellent one to ponder is: If you could ask God for one thing this week, what would it be?
Long travel times and extended visits can be great opportunities to talk, and questions like these spark interesting conversations that help keep us in touch with God. The primary difference between people of faith and people who are not of faith has nothing to do with one being saintlier than the other. It has to do with the fact that when people of faith look at the world through eyes of faith, they’re able to see God where others might not. Because of the pandemic, many of us are just now finally getting to travel after more than a year which, besides creating much excitement, could also create a fair amount of pressure. I hope we’ll be gentle with ourselves and not have unrealistic expectations of having the “perfect” time – because we’re imperfect human beings!
Dealing with any challenges and conflicts that might arise is really just another opportunity to remember God’s presence and ask for God’s help.