Advent Cards Day 31: End of Vacation
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When Jack sat down for lunch, his mom noticed his glum mood. âWhatâs wrong, Jack?â she asked. Jack just shrugged.
Mom placed sandwiches and chips on the table. âItâs a beautiful day,â she said after they thanked God for their food. âYou have several Christmas gifts to keep you busy, and school is out for a few more days. But you donât look very happy.â
âItâs just thatâŚChristmas vacation is almost over,â Jack replied. âSchool starts next week, and I havenât gotten anything done.â
âWhat do you mean?â asked Mom. âWhat didnât you get done?â
âI was going to read the book Tommy lent me and learn how to ski during vacation,â said Jack. âAnd I was going to surprise Dad by cleaning the garage and vacuuming the car. I was even planning to shovel Mrs. Pattenâs walks and driveway for free, but I never got around to it. She ended up hiring someone.â He sighed loudly. âI wasted my whole vacation.â
âI understand how you feel,â Mom said. âI often feel that way myself when I donât get to everything on my to-do list. But, Jack, you didnât waste your vacation.â
Jack looked up from his sandwich. âI didnât?â
Mom shook her head. âYou spent time with friends and family, and you also got a much-needed break from a busy school year. Rest and relationships are important too. Instead of fretting over everything we want to get done, we need to trust Jesus to help us do the things He wants us to do. We can rest and enjoy time with others because Jesus did what we could never do ourselvesâHe died and rose again so we could have eternal life with Him!â
âSo, itâs okay I didnât do all that stuff?â asked Jack.
âWould it even be possible to do all that in two weeks?â Mom asked, grinning. Jack smiled. âI guess not.â
âBut itâs good you want to use your time well and help others,â said Mom. âMaybe you can set aside time to work on things that are really important to you. And you still have a couple days of vacation left.â
Jack nodded and began wolfing down his sandwich. âI should have time to clean the garage before Dad gets home!â
So how about you?
How have you been spending your Christmas vacation? Did you have fun? Itâs important to relax and enjoy spending time with others. Maybe you had things you hoped to accomplish tooâdid you do them? Itâs good to set goals and get things done, but remember that Jesus has already accomplished the most important thing of all. Trust Him to help you use your time well as you balance work, fun, and rest.
Key Verse
1 Peter 3:18 NLT “Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but He died for sinners to bring you safely home to God.”
Key Thought
Use your time well.
Further Reading
Ecclesiastes 3:1-14; John 19:28-30