We are in the midst of a vacation with our daughter and grandchildren and though I enjoy this time with them, it’s different from vacations we took before. My wife spent months planning this trip, we booked our accommodations early, to get better prices. We bought tickets for the Universal Studios theme park to make sure we could get in. We even reserved a minivan, so we would have enough room. With all that, we should be ready for a relaxing vacation, right?
I worked for the government for 40 years and one of my jobs was to think of what could go wrong and prevent it. It’s not fear, but if things don’t work out, my family will look to me to fix it. One such stresser was the extra dirty van we picked up, which also had low tires and streaky wiper blades. It was too late to get another one, so the guy cleaned it “good enough” and we aired up the tires when we bought gas on the road. It seems like these things bother me more than before.
Another thing, I don’t seem to handle the long drive like I used to. Thankfully, we didn’t plan on driving more than 9 hours per day. Good thing, because I grew tired sooner, had more aches and pains and seemed more anxious to get there than I used to. Even getting a good night’s sleep wasn’t guaranteed, just because you need to drive the next day. I also found myself wanting to take a rest after a few hours of touring, or just walking around in the heat and humidity. We used to be able to go all day, but not any more.
One other thing I found was different, is my family. My grandchildren are teenagers now and have their own mind about what they want to eat, do and see. We have to consider what they want if we want them to enjoy themselves. My daughter has also become more “assertive” after raising three children. She doesn’t just go along with whatever we want. Yes it’s different now, but that’s not all bad. My grandson was grandma’s technical help, my daughter was my navigator, my sister-in- law took care of my granddaughters and they cared for her.
There’s something else that’s different now. I used to be afraid of death and dying, but not anymore! For many years I felt inadequate and wasn’t sure I was smart enough, strong enough or had the ability to do my part, but that’s not my problem now. I was also afraid some disaster would come along and ruin the rest of my life, but I no longer carry that burden. So how did I do it? Was it a self-help book, a good tip or did I just get lucky? No! I surrendered to JESUS! I surrendered my fear of death, fear of failure, my fear of what might happen in the future. I turned from my wicked ways and asked JESUS to come into my heart and cleanse me of all my unrighteousness, and He did! I gave Him control of my present, future and eternity and He took it! Now I am part of the family of GOD and depend on Him for all those things I can’t do. He took my burdens and and now for me to “to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Phil 1:21) which is different now!
Wayne Lance