OPINION:
Summer officially begins in a few weeks, although schools in many parts of the country have already closed their doors as the days grow longer and the temperatures rise.
Do you and your family have big plans?
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Maybe you have visions of camping trips, sandy beaches and long naps dancing through your mind. You’ve got a list of activities all mapped out with dates and locations carefully selected. Other people prefer to keep summer loose and their schedules open. The fewer things set in stone, the better.
Regardless of your traditions or temperament, I hope you’ll set aside some time in the coming months to unplug and spend it with your family. It surprised me recently to find out that Americans leave as many as 175 million available vacation days unused in the typical year.
I can certainly understand the stresses that might prompt workers to eschew time off and vacations – inflation is rising, everything costs more, the economy feels fragile and overworked employees feel they can’t take time away.
The unfortunate result is more and more Americans are making do without times of rest and relaxation.
But God Himself modeled the importance of rest for us. In Genesis 2, we read, “And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.”
The problem is, whether you’re a high-level executive at a Fortune 500 company or a stay-at-home mom trying to keep a house orderly, dinner on the table and kids’ homework up-to-date, many of us feel like we can’t stop. But you can. Life always goes on, even without us. Stop trying to be a superhero at the office or getting every task done in the home. Instead, start being present with your loved ones, especially if you have young children in the home.
With rising costs this summer, you might be thinking you can’t afford a vacation. In truth, for your mental, emotional and spiritual health, you probably can’t afford not to take one. Time away doesn’t have to cost much at all – and the memories continue to pay great dividends years later.
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Years ago, when our two boys were smaller, we used to camp in a tent. There was something about sleeping in the cold, clear mountain air that we loved. During one trip, however, we got a little too close to nature.
We were all sleeping in our tent when my wife, Jean, and I had an unexpected wake-up call around midnight. A big, hungry black bear raided the empty campsite next to ours, knocking over a large Dumpster in his search for food.
The boys didn’t even wake up – but needless to say, Jean and I were quite alarmed. What would we do if the bear came near our tent?
After some discussion, Jean and I decided we’d roll over on top of the boys and act as human shields. Our plan might sound heroic, but it was more the result of desperation than bravery – there was nothing else we could do! Thankfully, though, the bear finally sauntered off about 3 a.m., leaving Jean and me too wired to sleep.
The next night – yes, we stayed another night – we put our noisy rechargeable air pump right next to the sleeping bags to be employed in the event of another marauding bear. It was a wonderful plan, in theory, just not in practice.
It was about two in the morning when our little guy Troy triggered the air pump with his tossing and turning. The noise blasted through the quietness of the night. Jean and I woke up half the campground trying to turn the thing off!
The story has become a legend in the Daly home. It’s a memory we’ve laughed about over and over again, a shared experience that binds us together.
Memories like these draw us closer as a married couple and a family. Remembering and cherishing the moments we’ve shared together is one of the reasons why I take summer vacations so seriously! They make all the time and effort Jean and I spent planning and saving for these trips worth it.
Our boys are now grown, but the memories are still with us. F. Scott Fitzgerald famously said that life begins over again in the summer, a nod to the lifegiving nature of rest and recreation.
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Jim Daly is president of Focus on the Family and host of its daily radio broadcast, heard by more than 6 million listeners a week on nearly 2,000 radio stations across the U.S. He also hosts the podcast ReFocus with Jim Daly.
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