5 Things I Was Reminded of While On Vacation

I recently went on a week long vacation with my wife and her family down to Wildwood New Jersey. While we were there, my wife reminded me that it had been a while since I last wrote a blog and encouraged me to write one while we were away. While I agreed that I would write one, I decided to wait until we came home.

Now that we are home and I’ve taken the time to reflect on the week, I believe there were five things I was reminded of that I personally believe everyone should be reminded of.

1.) The Need To Rest

If we are honest, most of today are constantly on the go, go, go! We rush to and from jobs, meetings, schooling, and activities. The usual “go to word” when we are asked “How are we doing?” is “Busy.” It seems like we take pride in being busy. The problem with that is if we are constantly “busy”, it can cause us to be physically and/or emotionally drained or worse yet, we can burn out. I was reminded from the book of Genesis that The Creator took time to rest;

“So the creation of the heavens and the earth and everything in them was completed. On the seventh day God had finished His work of creation, so He rested from all His work. And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when He rested from all His work of creation.”-Genesis 2:1-3

If the Lord, who is the Creator of all things, took a day to rest, how much more should we take a day to rest?

2.) Family Time Is Important

As I mentioned earlier, my wife and I went on a week long vacation with her side of the family. In total there was 11 of us. (Some of you might be cringing of the idea being away just one day with your family, let alone an entire week!) For us, it was a blessing because it was great to be with family that we don’t see everyday and to have the opportunity to catch up on life. It was awesome to see our nephew play on the beach and make sand castles (Actually, now that I think about it, he was actually destroying them). It was nice to gather around a table to have dinner and play some games.

Now does this mean our vacation was perfect? Of course not! There was an afternoon when it rained. Our nephew was sick for a few days, and my wife’s older brother had to go get his leg checked out from a bug bite. Oh, did I mention that our competitive nature came during all the games we played?! But that’s the beauty of spending time with family. We were able to make memories that we can look back on.

I encourage you, make time to be with your family because you never know if you will ever see them again.

3.) Expect Changes In Life

One of the reasons my wife and I took a week long vacation was to help us prepare for a new season in our life. We are expecting our first child somewhere between the last week of July and the first week of August, and we took the time away to get ourselves “ready.” As I was sitting on the beach and looking out into the ocean, it hit me that our lives are going to change. Now I heard many people tell me this, but the reality of it sunk in. Then I asked myself, “why am I surprised that things will change? Of course they will change!”

Like any new season, change happens and I was reminded to just expect for change. Sometimes change catches us off guard, but we shouldn’t be surprised when change occurs. In the book of Ecclesiastes, the author writes the following;

“For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to harvest. A time to kill and a time heal. A time to tear down and a time to build up. A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance. A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones. A time to embrace and a time to turn away. A time to search and a time to quit searching. A time to keep and a time to throw away. A time to tear and a time to mend. A time to be quiet and a time to speak. A time to love and a time to hate. A time for war and a time for peace.”-Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Life is changing everyday and we are either going to embrace the new season(s) ahead or we are going to have negative attitudes towards it. Is change scary at times? Yes! But we shouldn’t let the fear of change keep us in bondage.

Which leads me to the fourth thing I was reminded of…

4.) Let Go of Your Fears

All of us have fears, how we handle those fears determines how we live our lives. For me, because of the fear of man, there have been times that I have shrunk away from things I love to do. One of the main reasons I stopped writing blogs and stopped creating a podcast after two episodes was because of what others thought. Some people didn’t like what I was doing, some people thought I was trying to “make a name” for myself, and some people disagree with what I have to say or write.

The truth is, I love providing educational content, whether through writing or speaking, to help teach truths that aren’t being taught and to encourage people who are on the journey to do the same (So, be prepared to see more blogs and new episodes). For 21 years of my life I was lied to. It wasn’t until I surrendered my life to the Lord Jesus Christ that my eyes were open to the truths of this world, based on the Word of God. Now, for the last 9 years I’ve been on a quest to know the truth and spread the truth until the Lord calls me home.

I say all that to encourage you as the reader to not give up the goals and aspirations the Lord has laid on your heart. All of us have an assignment from God, and each race will look different, but I hope and pray that we don’t let fear hold us back.

5.) Growth Is Not Optional

I read a book called “The Father You’ve Always Wanted: How God Heals Your Faith” by Ed Tandy McGlasson and one of the key points I took away from the book was how our “father wounds” effect how we parent our children. The author goes on to say that we have a choice to either let our past wounds carry over or we heal from them through the power of Christ. This hit me, because it reminded me that “growing up” in not an option. We must discipline ourselves to grow and mature into the person God has called us to be and live it out for His glory. This means dealing with the hard stuff like character flaws, past hurts, and seeking forgiveness. Growing is tough, but in the end, it is worth it.

Which of these five needs most of your attention? How are you going to respond? Let me encourage you by praying and seeking the Lord Jesus Christ for wisdom and guidance.

God Bless,

Michael A. Kubus

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