Not So Much What You Do, But Who You Do It With

What do bologna sandwiches, mountains, go-karts and an alpine slide have in common?  Well, one thing is that all of these were thoroughly enjoyed on vacations as a kid.  But the most significant thing they have in common is the people they were enjoyed with.  The Great Smoky Mountains has been a favorite get away since I was a young child.  My very first memory of visiting the Great Smoky Mountains involves my younger brother falling into a pool unable to swim, which happened frequently during his childhood. 

There was the time that we drove down late and met my grandparents who were already there and packed into the same hotel room.  I remember being hungry and eating broccoli and cauliflower dipped in ranch dressing.  My grandparents did not seem to care in the least bit that we crashed their vacation.  Many of the trips that we made were made with grandparents or other family members in tow.

I have carried on this tradition with my kids.  Most of them have the same love for the area that I have.  We recently took our first fall trip to the area with just my family of 6.  We had a blast.  We ran into friends and spent the day with them riding rides, sharing laughs and telling stories.  I asked my kids on the way back home what their favorite thing that we did was.  My oldest daughter without hesitation said, “meet up with Joey, Lisa, Kinley and Josie.”  (Those are the friends we spent the day with.)

I told her that what I had learned over the years was that what made all of the trips to the Great Smoky Mountains so enjoyable really was not as much about what I did but really who I did it with.  I will always cherish the memories of my grandmother being so frugal that she made everyone eat bologna sandwiches everyday for lunch, even on vacation.  I will never forget my grandfather acting more like a child riding every ride he could.  I would not trade those times for anything in the world.

This is really a life lesson.  Life is really more about who we do it with, more so than what we do.  Some of us, like myself are blessed with a great family while others are not.  However, there is one person that we all have the opportunity to do life with.  This one particular person always welcomes us with open arms.  This person is not frustrated when we intrude.   His name is Jesus.  Jesus welcomes us under some of the most difficult circumstances we will ever face.  His invitation is, “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.” (Mt. 11:28 NIV)

The current time we are living in may have us separated from some of those people that we normally take pleasure in doing life with.  But even the pandemic cannot separate us from Jesus.  Take this opportunity to draw closer to Him and learn from Him.  When we do those things the other relationships in our lives will be taken to new depths and become even more fulfilling.