How can vacations and holidays help us to grow in our spiritual walk with the Lord? Here is a devotion that helps us reflect on what we consider “heaven”:

IN WORD There is an impulse deep in our hearts for the things of heaven. God placed it there. He shaped us for eternity, and somewhere deep within us, we know that. We may have distorted that impulse when our first parents ate the forbidden fruit or when we deliberately sinned against God, but we still have it. We want heaven, and we want it now.
Have you noticed all the ways we try to get it? We look for heaven in lots of places—the spring catalogs, the vacation brochures, the real estate guides, the novels and movies that engross us, the satisfying relationships we pursue, the American dream we’re promised, and more. You name it, we’ve placed our hope in it. We welcome poor substitutes. Perhaps we thought of our personal goals as an innocent search for satisfaction, but they went deeper than that. We were driven by our impulses for the eternal kingdom, trying to satisfy our hearts with things that don’t measure up. That’s why we always want more, no matter how much we have.
Everything we think will satisfy us won’t—not in the long run. Eternal impulses are not content with temporal treasures. Our hope is like an itch; it is cured with a divine balm, not an impatient scratch.
IN DEED Where have you sought to secure your heaven? Even if you’ve placed your hope in the Kingdom of God, you still may be tempted to secure your kingdom by your own means. Have you insulated yourself in the most comfortable neighborhoods, padded your accounts with the most comfortable margins, gotten away from it all with the most comfortable respites, and escaped into the most comfortable fantasies? You may be entertaining false hopes. You may have cultivated your own parallel false kingdom next to the eternal Kingdom of God. Resist that urge. God has called us into a relationship with Him. Let that be your treasure. Handle the things of this world loosely. Look for heaven where heaven really is. “Heaven will be the perfection we have always longed for.” – Billy Graham (in “Walking with God” by Chris Tiegreen)

We often pick vacations that we consider heaven – a place in the mountains, by the beach, or doing things that we like. Isn’t that why so many people love cruises? We may enjoy it for a while, but reality always intrudes. It may be a rude neighbor or a less-than-ideal accommodation or it’s just too short a vacation. The reality of an imperfect world inevitably intrudes.
But do you realize that heaven is possible exclusive of circumstances? Heaven is possible when we are resting in the Lord. Take time this week to reflect daily on Psalm 23 and note how the psalmist is in “heaven.” Then ask the Holy Spirit to help you experience heaven on earth by seeking and dwelling in the Lord daily. You may find that vacation and daily life are more heavenly! Have a blessed week! – from Singapore, Pastor Sam