Jerry Cook writes . . . . .
Holidays
It is one of the enduring
pleasures of living and working in this beautiful part of the country is that we
not only get to take holidays but we live in a place where so many visit to
enjoy their holidays. More than one person has commented to me “you are
very lucky living in a place like Torbay – every day must seem like a holiday”.
Well those of us who live
here know that life has its same challenges and issues for folk living in Torbay
as it has for people living in other parts of the country. We are all
awaiting the results of the emergency budget and the forecast years of austerity
which will affect us as much as the whole country. Much needed investment
in infrastructure is threatened – how many more summers will pass before a
decision is made for or against the Kingskerswell bypass? To what extent
will the building of new housing, especially affordable housing, have on our
drainage infrastructure and the quality of our water? All these are
questions which will have some impact on our life in Torbay, but I expect you
could go to almost any part of the country and find similar problems.
For those staying on
holiday the pleasure and relaxation might perhaps give a false impression of
what living in the area is like. I have certainly come across cases where people
have retired to what had been a favourite holiday destination only to find that
living life in a place was quite different from taking a holiday there: indeed
some have found themselves very unhappy at their decision.
But holidays are vitally
important for our bodies and also for our souls. The word holiday derives
from “holy day”. In times past holy days were observed for all sorts of
reasons. Sunday was, of course, always a holy day until the Sunday Trading
Act made it somehow less holy! Then the major festivals of the Church like
Ascension Day were also taken as holy days. The Christmas holy days lasted
originally 40 days (finishing in early February). I’m not sure how many
people would ponder taking a six week holiday through January but in the
agrarian economy of the Middle Ages there was little opportunity to work on the
land so a holiday was entirely appropriate.
For the Christian, holy
days and holidays are both vitally important. They are high points in the
journey of life with Christ which allow us to reflect on what God is doing in
our lives; to recharge our batteries for the challenges and the calling that
lies ahead: after all even Jesus slept when he was tired!
So if you are a visitor
here in Torbay enjoy your holy days here may they be a time of great blessing;
may you find time to reflect on God at work in your life and go home physically
and spiritually refreshed. If you live here it may be that the time of
other people’s holidays is your busiest working period. But do remember to
take a holy day or two and may you be similarly blessed.
Jerry
Torbay Methodist Churches,
Devon, UK
