Recurring annual holidays often come with both anticipation and dread. We look forward to the break from our routines and the rest from our work. These holidays are broadly recognized for the purpose and meaning they bring to our lives. They give us reason and opportunity to be with family and friends. But, holidays can also be busy, demanding and stressful on many levels. Your next holiday trip will likely not be all good but it certainly doesn’t have to be all bad. What it can be, every time, is fully given to God. That begins when you ask God to make your holiday travels generous and extravagant.
THERE’S A LOT PACKED INTO THAT LITTLE WORD ‘ASK’
A quick, “God help me”, is what a lot of people may say when tensions rise, tempers flair, things get bumpy and travel plans go awry. But if that’s when you acknowledge God, it’s probably too late already. Only you can make the commitment to intentionally invite God into your planning, your goings, your conversations, your celebrations, your thoughts, your troubles — from the beginning and throughout all your travel moments. Intentionally acknowledging God is an important first step toward successful holiday travels. The Bible spells that out very clearly saying, acknowledge God in all your ways – everything you do and He will direct you. So, get that mentality, that attitude deep down in you. God isn’t your weekly religious routine, a good idea when you’re wanting to be good. God isn’t aloof and disconnected. God is with you right now, right where you are. That’s a lot more immediate and present than we realize or behave.
AND – your connection with God doesn’t require wi-fi or even any bars on the phone or anything else other than you taking the initiative to ask. On this trip you’re on right now and every time you take holiday travels, make it your frequent practice to “ask God”. It’s so simple to do and yet it so powerful.
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TIME TO GO – TIME TO PRAY
When you pray (and by the way you should pray before, throughout and after your holiday travels are complete) you can do it alone with someone else and as a group/family. Don’t worry about making it sound all nice or trying to cover all the bases, instead just be genuine. Savor the conversation you’re having with God. Listen for wisdom and guidance. God wants you to ask and when you do He gives peace.
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BUT WAIT THERE’S MORE!
Prioritizing God in your life, especially in your holiday travels, isn’t just about asking God for safety, help, peace, strength or other good things you want from God. It is about pursuing His Spirit to be a tool of Christ’s mercy and power – a means by which others can experience the generous and extravagant nature of God. This is where Christ-centered travel doesn’t just route you away from the spiritual delays, road blocks and dangers – it infuses what you do and how you do it with a richness that only God can produce.
Ask God what the real agenda is: Yeah, ok you and everyone else is going to have a good meal, hopefully relax, and do some nice things. But nice is, well, just nice. When you pursue after God to be the life of Christ to others you open yourself up to doing something significant, transformative, impactful, lasting. And that’s not because you want to be impressive in the eyes of others, that’s because others need a powerful encounter with God.
The difference that God can make in someone’s life – several people’s life, each time you go on holiday travels may be something that you feel is simple even insignificant or perhaps very different from what you’d ordinarily do. But when you ask God to use you in that way you can be confident that God will make it absolutely over and above what they could hope and beyond what you could imagine.
You may get to see that immediately have impact OR you may never know how your obedience to God on your holiday travels produced a God-crafted outcome that was generous in His grace and goodness. Look beyond the immediate and what seems to be evident. Go beyond the feelings, misunderstandings and confusion. When you choose for God’s Spirit to fill your holiday, you invite His extravagant nature into the moment, the place, the relations and the spiritual going’s-on that can’t be seen and certainly can’t be understood.
Get excited. Wear a smile. It’s holiday time again. Time to travel. Maybe you’ve been there more times than you can count. This time – embrace generous and get ready for extravagant.
