Who’s over ironing school uniforms, preparing packed lunches, getting the kids out the door on time with both shoes on, somehow managing the after-school traffic without flipping your lid? All of these things are what you might love to leave behind you when the school holidays come around. The stress of getting homework and assignments done is all behind us as soon as that last bell for the term goes. But what about the things that we learn about in school? Do we forget everything when Holidays arrive? Do we need to take a holiday from God as well?
It is so good to know that God is always present, always wanting to be in all of our lives, to cheer us on when we’re doing well and to take us down a few notches when we’re getting a big head. He’s always there wanting us to live a life full of love and purpose. It would be tragic to think that we would ever feel like taking a holiday from God. But that’s exactly what so many of us can easily do during the holidays. We put God in the “school” box and close the lid on Him as soon as the term is over. That’s why I thought a great way to end the term would be discussing how we can extend our lives with God right through the holidays.
So here are 3 ways we can remember God these school holidays.
1. Visit a church for a Sunday service
We thrive in community, we’re not made to do this life alone. Sometimes the holidays can be a lonely time if you don’t have many people to spend it with. Thankfully, most churches will be guaranteed to meet on a Sunday and you can step foot in the door without being pressured to sign up to a club membership fee (see how the early Christians did it in Acts 2:42). It might be your first time in Church ever, right in your hometown, or it might be a church you find while googling places to go on Sunday while you’re away. I have personally had so many great experiences visiting churches while away that I would not wait until you get home to remember to gather with God’s people.
2. Try a Bible reading plan or devotional for the holidays
A great way to get into the word of God each day is to go through it devotionally (check out Psalm 1). There’s a great app called YouVersion that you can download completely for free if you have a smartphone. On it, you can read the Bible in a wide variety of translations (I like the NLT myself), find books and verses really quickly and also search a huge library of daily devotionals covering topics from marriage, family and relationships to addiction, forgiveness and knowing God personally. The best way I’ve found to use these is to start with a short 5 day devotional and set up a reminder to read it every day. Once you’ve finished a short plan you not only feel accomplished but you can start another topic and learn so much more. If you’re not into reading on a screen there are great devotional books that you can pick up for cheap – try asking someone you know for a recommendation.
3. Make time to talk about God together as a family
I have been learning to put the most important things in life in my day first. In the busy-ness of holiday life (or the laziness) it can be hard to prioritise family time together. You can get caught up so easily in the next exciting activity or the next netflix binge session. But sitting down together and chewing on God’s word with your family can be something that changes the way you do holidays and you might even find that rather than being worn out by holidays, you can actually be refreshed and reinvigorated, ready for the next chapter together. After all, God’s word itself says we should talk about him at least as much as we talk about the weather (I invite you to check out Deuteronomy 6:6-7 together).
Perhaps the greatest temptation in our fast-paced world is to make holidays the be all and end all of our lives. To live for the time when we can rest and relax, or for the moment when we are finally doing that exciting activity we’ve always wanted to do. Whatever your plans for the holidays the greatest encouragement we can give you is to never take a holiday from God.
Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. – James 4:8
Ps Isaiah Logan