September 2004
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How We Spent Our Summer Vacation
Last November I (Marilyn) was visiting Chad and Cristine in Dallas, watching our grandchild Luke while his parents looked for a new home. One day when we all went house hunting together, I saw a home I fell in love with. It was twenty years old and hadn’t been redecorated in all those years. It was older and it was ugly, but beneath the surface I saw a grand home just waiting to be refurbished. I tried to convince Chad and Cristine to buy it, but they realized it was going to take a whole lot more work than they cared to invest. And so that should have been that. Yet the house wouldn’t leave my thoughts. Several months later when I was again babysitting while Chad and Cristine attended a convention, I checked to see if it was still on the market. It was. So I asked the real estate agent to show me the home once again. I thought it would be one last look followed by the realization that it had all been a crazy idea. That’s not what happened, though. Seeing the house again only confirmed within my heart that Michael and I were to remodel and refurbish it. I felt it was a mission God was giving us to restore the home and prepare it for a family. Hard to explain in words, but it definitely was strong within me. I returned to Denver and told Michael what I was feeling. I (Michael) agreed to travel to Dallas and check it out. We thought this might be the end of it all if I thought it was a crazy idea. But I loved the home as well and was willing to invest the time, money, and energy it was going to take to restore its former beauty. I too felt that God had some purpose for the restoration. So that is how we have spent our summer vacation. Summer in Dallas—not the best time to experience the south. But it has been one of the most exciting things we have done together in years. We traded our desk jobs for manual labor. It has been hard work in hot weather. We have muscles aching that we haven’t used in years! We’ve worked 12-hour days and fallen into bed exhausted at night. And yet we have laughed and enjoyed each other’s company more than we have in years. From picking out tile and paint colors to ripping out walls together, we have been having more fun than we thought possible. And we have learned some really important lessons. Looking back now we realize why God sent us to Dallas. In over twenty years of ministry we have taken a handful of times off. Aside from two trips with our family, we have always combined any relaxation time we have had with ministry. We always called them “working vacations.” This summer God sent us on a true working vacation. As we painted and hammered and sawed, we realized it had been a long time since we had watched a sunset or listened to birds singing in the trees. Several mornings I (Michael) walked down to a nearby pond and fed some turtles. If you know me very well, you know that is totally out of character for me. At first we felt terribly guilty leaving the office and the ministry for such a long period of time. Each time we prayed, though, the Lord assured us we were right where He wanted us and to stay put. There were many who didn’t understand why we were away so long, especially some in the office, and we felt the need to explain. Again the Lord directed us to just enjoy the time He was giving us. He was dealing with everyone’s heart, not just ours. Last year God gave me (Marilyn) a wonderful sabbatical in Brazil when I had eye surgery. It was a month long. This year He took me away for over two months. Last year was spent resting and enjoying the Lord’s presence. This year was spent working and enjoying the Lord’s presence. Both experiences have impacted my life. I (Michael), too, experienced a break from the stress and pressures of my daily routine. I replaced an old wooden staircase railing with wrought iron. I had never done it before and each step was by total faith. When I finished, I was excited to see how beautiful it turned out. God allowed us both to step out in areas we had never succeeded in before. Sometimes it is harder to risk in familiar surroundings. Sometimes God has to take us some place totally new to help us let go of the old and embrace new challenges. We learned new things, we experienced both successes and failures, and we made some progress. Instead of dealing constantly with people’s relationships, God gave us the opportunity to work with wood and paint. Mistakes made there were more easily remedied. We were more willing to risk and in so doing, a greater measure of creativity was restored to us. It became fun again to dream and to try something new. So, why are we sharing all this? Because through the years we have watched couple after couple that were called by God to minister to marriages and families walk away from their call, burned out and exhausted. We have watched couples lay it all down because of the pressures and stresses of ministry. This summer we learned that God provides a place of rest for us in the midst of ministry. We learned that God loves each of us so very much and He longs to restore our soul. His desire is that we complete our assignments here on earth, not walk away from them because we’re worn out. We also learned that the world goes on without us. We were carrying such heavy responsibility on our shoulders that it was about to break us. We felt responsible for so many people, for so many things. We wanted to be faithful and because of that we had taken on more than God had given us. We were cranky and irritable and not enjoying our call together as He intended. So He gave us an assignment and took us away to restore a home in a different way than through ministry. The world did not fall apart. The home office did not crumble. Leaders did fine, and even flourished in our absence. We were once again reminded that it is all about Him. His Word upholds all things. His plan goes on. His vision continues to grow in the hearts of leaders. So we encourage you as well—don’t be afraid to rest. Don’t be afraid to let go. Scripture speaks in many dichotomies. “He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it” is one of them. Sometimes we hold on to what we think is life only to discover that life is found in letting go. Sometimes our effectiveness is diminished by holding on and increased by letting go. Listen to what He is saying to you. He will direct you when to lay it down for a season so that He may help you learn what to pick up again. The key is to stay the course, not give up in exhaustion. Finishing the race is only possible if we allow Him to fine-tune our lives as we run it. Sometimes that means sitting out a lap or two. Sometimes it means running with all our might. He knows the balance and will give it to us. Walking away from the assignment is not the answer. Learning to hear His voice and obey it is the key. May all that you put your hand to prosper—even those times when your hands are at rest! Mike and Marilyn Phillipps |
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