It’s vacation time again!  Time to hit the road and drive to delightful destinations.  Hooray!  Or… Help me Lord!

I reminisced about a couple of our trips when I read the words of Moses in Numbers 11.  He wasn’t on a vacation but he was taking a trip.  Unfortunately, all was not rosy as they rambled down the road.

“Moses heard all the …whining…Moses was very aggravated…And Moses said to the Lord, ‘Have mercy on me!’…The load is far too heavy!  If this is how You intend to treat me, just go ahead and kill me.  Do me a favor and spare me this misery!”  (v.10,11,14,15 NLT)

Ever felt like that before?  Does this bring back memories of long car rides or delays at an airport?  Can you hear the kids whining in the back seat during hour three of a multi-hour journey?  I can.

The summer of 1990 brings back such memories.  Lee was nine years old and Briana was four.  Our first trip was to Michigan and took fifteen hours.  The second was to the General Assembly at San Antonio, Texas and you don’t even want to know how long of a drive that was.  To make matters worse, we were in a very small Oldsmobile Calais.  On the journey home, by the time we hit Atlanta, I was ready to bypass our house and head to the psychiatric hospital!  Honestly!

Looking back through the mist of the years, I wonder, “Why did I get so upset?  Why did I fret and fuss over the kids being kids?”  Why couldn’t I understand that life passes so swiftly; that the little irritations of today will initiate longings in our heart tomorrow?

God gave Moses a plan to help him deal with his frustrations.  Maybe God can use me to speak into your life today and tell you to lighten up.  Enjoy the journey.  The kids will be grown and gone before you know it and all you will have are memories and pixels on a screen.  Don’t let the little irritations and frustrations of life rob you of the joy and wonder experienced through the eyes of a child.

By all means, have a plan for discipline and follow through if disobedience occurs, but if it’s just your kids being kids… kick off your shoes and join in the fun.  Twenty years from now, you’ll be glad you did.