Month: June 2017

When I think of a vacation, it’s usually of somewhere in the tropics where I’m lounging on a beach and snorkeling in sparkling blue waters. The idea of heading out into the wilderness though, at least ten miles away from the closest sign of civilization, setting up a tent, and living off the land is definitely not. Yet for my friend Robb, that’s precisely the first thing he thinks of.

Even though my type of vacation would most likely never be to venture into the wild for several weeks of time to dine on things like mushrooms, turtle soup, and freshly-caught fish, I have learned to have great appreciation for those like Robb who do find spiritual rejuvenation in that sort of thing.

Regardless of whatever one thinks of when it comes to a vacation, I truly believe all of them are meant to be spiritually rejuvenating. Except for many individuals, they often aren’t, because so much of them become occupied with busyness while on them.

I should know, as I grew up in a family where every moment of our vacations was planned out before we even got to wherever we were going. And sadly, I carried this behavior into much of my adulthood, going on each of my getaways with huge agendas to be accomplished where the result was me always returning home feeling the polar opposite of spiritual rejuvenation, that being spiritual depletion.

Thankfully, that’s changed quite a bit in the past few years though, as I’ve opted to throw out any type of itinerary on my vacations and instead, just spend a lot more time being still. And although my health issues have been a thorn in my side during some of them, I still found enough spiritual rejuvenation from not having to constantly go and do anything at any particular time.

That’s why I have such an appreciation for my friend Robb and his type of vacation, because even though it’s not on a tropical island, I can see that it’s still in a place where he’s able to experience his own form of rest and renewal.

To be perfectly honest, if I had Robb’s skillset of living in the wild, I’d probably enjoy a vacation in the middle of a forest as much as he does. Unfortunately, I have next to no survival skills and that was confirmed even more so when I did one of those questionnaires once that said I’d last a mere three days if I was alone in the wilderness with nothing but my wits.

Robb, on the other hand could last years, if not a lifetime out there, as he can hunt, fish, and spot all the things in the forest that are safe to eat. He also enjoys sleeping in a tent, bathing in natural streams, being still and watching the creatures move about the forest all around him. And through all that, he experiences the presence of God, thus finding the spiritual rejuvenation he desperately seeks when on a vacation.

In my case though, sitting on a beach and reading a good book, taking long walks with my feet just at the edge of the ocean, picking up pretty seashells, and watching marine life swim in and around coral reefs below me, is what brings me a lot closer to God and provides my own form of spiritual rejuvenation these days.

So, although Robb and I have very different ideas of what a vacation looks like and how we achieve spiritual rejuvenation when on them, we do share one thing in common and that’s how neither of us want any specific type of itinerary or agenda to guide our lives while on them.

But even more importantly, we also share something else in common as well and that’s the desire to grow closer to God on our trips away, which the both of us have found in various forms of nature by just being still and taking in the beauty that God has placed so beautifully in the world all around and beneath us…

Peace, love, light, and joy,
Andrew Arthur Dawson