We need to say goodbye to our normal routine periodically.

Even if our jobs bring us great satisfaction and meaning, we need to get away from our work now and again and just play...for the sake of ourselves and the people we work with. Without a change of scenery, we can quickly become not just dull but deadly.

Vacations are not simply rewards for hard work, they are vital for our spiritual renewal.

The person whose work allows no time for creative refreshment is not just on a highway to hell but is missing out on the heaven that is ours right now.

Spending time experiencing new adventures with family and friends is resurrecting! Surely heaven includes spending time just playing with God.

Saying goodbye with a vacation is also a way of reminding ourselves how dispensable we really are. Returning home from a trip to find that everyday life continued on quite well without us is a subtle indicator of our mortality and a gentle nudge to lighten up.

Speaking of death, I am fond of saying that I have never heard anyone on their deathbed bemoan the time they took off to spend with their families.

The gift of life is precious.

What a shame if we spend it all at work.

Once in awhile, more frequently than we might suspect, God wants us to close our eyes, bow our heads and hear the preacher say,

"Let us play."