Next I want to expand a little on this lesson among the twelve:
1. Don't try to get out of a vacation more than it can give.
Expectations. They're huge, aren't they? Without them, we couldn't get on in the world. But oftentimes by them we set ourselves up for disappointment or a fall. I suppose many approach a vacation with certain expectations that are not often gratified, and they then suppose that the next one will go better and be more fulfilling.
To point out one expectation that we had in our recent trip to Mexico, we assumed it'd be in the 80s, being so far south. Wrong. That's what it is, apparently, inland. On the ocean, it's usually cooler this time of year. It was mid-70s for about four to five of the days we were there, sunny and warm enough to swim. But two days were chilly, maybe in the low 60s at the warmest part of the day, accompanied by gusty winds. I didn't even bring any long sleeve shirts. That was disappointing. Em also got a UTI. I got a cold. These thwarted some of our expectations.
But we did not go into the vacation looking for some sort of ultimate fulfillment or satisfaction. Vacations can't give that. We knew we'd enjoy many pleasant creation goods, but what struck me repeatedly was how ultimately unsatisfying all those pleasant things were. The food was great. Drinks were unlimited. Leisure and entertainment abounded. The place was beautiful. We were comfortable and care-free. People waited on us. That's the life, right?
Wrong. Not for us anyway, for we've tasted eternal life. All of these things
Cozumel offered couldn't offer what the soul longs for. They felt vain to me. We enjoyed them. But they weren't enough. We were, we are hungrier for God. We were made for eternity, and temporal delights won't do. They served their purpose. But they can only do so much for the soul made for eternity and its infinite delights. So, perhaps oddly, I was undeceived by tasting some of the world's supposedly more wonderful enjoyments. No big deal, really. I long for that everlasting city whose builder and maker is God (Heb. 11:10). I long for God my exceeding joy! (Ps. 43:4). The sweetest, most intense pleasures we enjoyed on the trip were those that came in communion with the God of infinite joy.
And so my mind turned again and again to texts like Ps. 63:3: the steadfast love of the Lord is better than life; and Ps. 90:10, 12: "The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty. . . . So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom"; and Eccl. 3:11: God "has put eternity into man's heart."
Receiving refreshment and a renewed vision of reality, we were encouraged to look way forward beyond this fleeting vapor's breath of a life. We were encouraged not to buy America's lies about getting all you can get now, about having to have this or that now. How many times, I wonder, do people leave vacations longingly looking back for more of that fleeting pleasure? How many times is the thought of returning to the weekly routine almost unbearable? By the grace of God, we left refreshed and revived and ready to return to our callings in this world to the glory of God. And, perhaps oddly, I realized how much I really enjoy my ordinary, week in and week out routine given to me by God. It's a great gift. And vacations are meant to provide perspective on that calling and provide readiness to return to it fresh and eager and zealous to do all in the name of Jesus (Col. 3:17).
Life is not a beach. That's a lie. And when all has been said, done, and experienced, the end is still this: "Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil" (Eccl. 7:13-14). So let's heed this wisdom and make vacations serve our embrace of it, not war against it.
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