Regional Synod of Canada - Reformed Church in America

Pioneer Christian Monthly

Date - July/94

Contributor - Harry Frielink

Title - Summer Vacation: Hollow Days Or Holy Days

Topic - Vacation

The school dormitory was as lifeless as a cemetery. I slowly removed the rest of my belongings and made my way out of the stale empty building. It was an eerie feeling; the hallways which once had too much life now were dead. The building was transformed from a home to a morgue overnight. Its lifeblood had been drained. School was over. We call this process of vacating our schools vacation. Outside is summer and our holidays begin. What does God have to do with our vacations? Your answer will determine if you'll have hollow days or holy days.

What a break. For months students have waited for this moment to escape their sentence served in scholastic cells. Now, they finally have their freedom. But how long will we enjoy our vacation? If we just see holidays as freedom from the drudgery of school, then after the first few weeks boredom will usually set in. And by early August we can hardly wait for school's return once again. In short, our holidays become hollow days. On the other hand, we can see our holidays as freedom for rest, renewal, and growth.

Holidays give us freedom to find God's rest. School can be a confusing and tiring universe where we move in and out of many very different worlds. We live one life at home, another with our friends, another in class, another with the in group, another with the "party crowd". another at youth group, another at church... another, another, another. Juggling so many lives makes us near schizophrenic. In the end, this tiring business of living in multiple lives eats away at who we really are. We even compromise our faith, and become undercover Christians. What a break indeed. God gives us freedom now to retreat from bouncing in and out of all those different lives.

God wants us to use our holidays to find ourselves in Him, and to find our rest in Him. In Christ we can be renewed. Take this promise of Christ with you this summer:

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." (Mat 1 1:28-29)

This rest which comes from God is a time for remembering God's relationship to us. It not only applied to the Jewish Sabbath, but it was to be applied to all holidays. As God's people we are to extend these principles in every area of our lives. Every seven years the Israelites would let their fields rest reminding them that their land was really owned and given by God. So, we too should see our time and schooling as owned and given by God. Our holidays, therefore, should be worship to our Lord. If you read Hebrews 4 we can see that making our holidays holy days is really all about entering God's eternal rest. God's Word warns us: "Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it." (Heb 4: 1)

Make entering God's rest the centre of your life this summer. While Catechism and Sunday school classes may shut down for these months, you can begin an adventure with the Spirit of God. Venture into His Word. Develop a regular devotion time to pray and learn from God. Read good Christian literature. Work out a plan for reaching those in your life with God's love and Gospel message. Find ways to apply God's directions for living to your life, your family, and your friends. In God's Word and service we will be renewed and refreshed to live life to the full. 11 Peter I tells us to make every effort to add to our faith goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love. If we grow in these, we will "receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ". (11 Pet 1: I 1) What more could we ask for in a summer vacation?

In the movie Chariots of Fire, Eric Lidell chose to enter God's rest. We too must decide this summer to make worshipping God the priority of our life. This Oscar winning movie tells the story of a man who wouldn't run on Sunday; even if it meant giving up an Olympic medal. Not only did Eric go on to win other races, his life was transformed by making worship to God his priority in life. When the Olympics were over he went to China to teach and to reach the Chinese with God's good news. When Eric and his family died for their faith in a Japanese concentration camp in 1942, he was mourned as a Scottish hero. It is for his commitment to Christ, not for his medals that he is remembered. Let us follow his example and make every effort to enter God's rest this summer. Let us live in God's rest. As young people we have time and freedom which will soon pass. Use your holidays while you've got them. Make them holy days, and you will find the resurrection power of Christ in your summer vacation.

The results of having holy days instead of hollow days are eternal. Much worse than boredom, failing to enter God's rest will earn us trip to the hottest destination. As you make choices about what sports leagues, summer trips, camps to get involved in; and about which friends to hang out with; about how to have fun; and about which job to take don't leave God out of your summer. His rest is where your The greatest vacation is. The challenge of Kingdom living lies before each of us this summer. Let's seize the moment and begin today.

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