The first time I actually felt my soul exhale, I used to be standing barefoot on a beach with nothing on my agenda but watching the waves. The ocean has all the time been my designated place to rest. No meetings. No deadlines. No pressure to “produce.” Just sand, sea, and silence. And for a moment… I remembered who I used to be.
That’s the ability of rest. That’s the aim of vacation. Not just to flee — but to return: to yourself, to your peace, and to your God.
What if You Can’t Get Away for a Vacation?
Let’s get this out of the way in which first: not everyone can afford a beach trip or a cabin within the mountains. For many, vacation appears like a luxury we will’t reach — due to funds, family, or the demands of on a regular basis life. But here’s the reality I would like to say loud and clear: rest is just not a luxury. It’s a command. And God never gives us a command He won’t help us keep. Rest isn’t something reserved for the privileged. It is a birthright of the believer — a holy rhythm we’re all called to embrace, regardless of our zip code or income bracket.
The Spiritual Power of Stillness
Let’s be honest. Most of us live by a hustle ethic that claims:
-Work harder.
-Grind longer.
-Sleep less.
-Earn more.
-Prove your value.
We wear exhaustion like a badge of honor. We glorify being busy. We call it “purpose” when it’s often just performance. We even feel guilty after we’re not working longer and harder at something. Maybe not even anything we should always. Just something. But God’s rhythm is different. God doesn’t call us to hustle harder. He calls us to abide deeper. And the deeper we abide, the clearer we hear, the stronger we stand, and the more fruitful we turn into — not due to our striving, but due to our give up.
“Be still, and know that I’m God.” – Psalm 46:10
This is one among my favorite scriptures. That verse is just not a suggestion. It’s a command wrapped in a promise. “Be still.” That’s the command. “Know that I’m God.” That’s the reward. But you possibly can’t know God deeply when you’re never still long enough to listen. It’s shocking how clearly God speaks to us if only we could be still and listen. Stillness is the soil during which spiritual clarity grows. If we never stop to be still, we miss the invitation to intimacy. We miss the possibility to listen to the still, small voice that speaks to not our performance, but to our personhood.
The Theology of Vacation
Let’s return to the start, to the Garden of Eden. God created Adam and Eve and placed them in paradise. Not in a factory. Not in a cubicle. Not on a conference call. In a garden. A spot of rest, beauty, relationship, and rhythm. Now take a look at creation: God worked for six days… after which He rested. God embedded the Sabbath into the very fabric of the universe. It wasn’t an afterthought; it was a part of the plan.
“By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work.” – Genesis 2:2
Here’s what’s wild: God didn’t rest because He was drained. He rested because He was modeling something. He was showing us the holy rhythm of labor and rest, purpose and pause, progress and peace. If God Himself made space for rest, who’re we to consider we don’t need it?
My husband often tells me I don’t even take 5 minutes to understand a ‘win.’ And he’s right. I often concentrate on all the things still left to do and overlook what I just achieved, as if pausing to have fun a milestone will cause me to fail at reaching the subsequent one.
Rest Isn’t Lazy. It’s Holy
If we’re honest, lots of us feel guilty about resting, especially in ministry or leadership. We think that if we stop, something will collapse. In reality, sometimes it does. Sometimes, God is guiding us in a recent and higher direction, and we’re so busy feeling guilty for not doing anything that we fail to spot that He is definitely doing all the things for us.
Let me lovingly remind you of something: you are usually not God. You are usually not holding the universe together. You are usually not holding your loved ones, your organization, your pals, or your ministry together either. God is. And after we act just like the world depends upon our hustle, we’ve forgotten who really holds all of it together. But, while you decide to step away — while you decide to rest — you’re declaring something powerful: “I trust You, Lord. I trust you greater than I trust my very own effort.” Isn’t that the religion described in Proverbs 3:5-6:
“Trust within the Lord with all of your heart, and don’t lean on your personal understanding. In all of your ways acknowledge him, and he’ll make straight your paths.”
That’s faith. That’s humility. That’s wisdom.
Vacation Is a Form of Worship
Yes, in its purest form, vacation is a type of worship. It’s a declaration that your value is just not measured by your output, but by your identity in Him. Yes, you read that right. Many of us must refocus on the way in which we view vacation. Is it time for us – or time to be with Him? Time to understand him. Time to thank Him. Time to listen to Him. When you select to enjoy beauty, silence, or play, you’re engaging with the God who created joy, silence, and play. Jesus said:
“Come to me, all you who’re weary and burdened, and I will provide you with rest.” – Matthew 11:28
Vacation is a method we are saying “yes” to that invitation. It’s not about trying out of life but checking back into your soul. I never understood why my pastor and his wife were so dedicated to unplugging every August. It gave the impression of numerous time away. I used to be in my 20s and loved the hustle. I worked to work. I assumed I needed to. Until I stepped into my very own leadership calling and learned that unplugging was a sacred option to worship God. I spotted I needed that point to be stuffed with understanding for every season He uses me in.
5 Ways to Vacation When You Can’t Afford a Vacation
Let’s speak about real life. Not everyone can hop on a plane. So, what will we do when vacation isn’t realistic, but rest remains to be required?
Here are some practical ways to experience “Sabbath for the soul” wherever you’re:
1. Create Mini-Retreats
Take a day without work. Turn off your phone. Go to a neighborhood park or beach. Read. Walk. Journal. Be still. Even a couple of hours of intentional silence can do more to your heart than per week of rushed activity. Block it in your calendar and protect it like you’d a physician’s appointment — because your soul needs care, too.
2. Sabbath with Intention
Carve out one full day per week where you don’t work, stress, or strive. Cook slowly. Worship freely. Nap guiltlessly. Laugh together with your kids. Let your property be a sanctuary. Light candles. Play music. Eat slowly. Make it beautiful. Make it sacred.
3. Declare Digital Sabbaths
Shut off your phone, your laptop, and your TV for a set period. Let your mind detox from the noise. Stillness isn’t just physical. It’s mental and emotional, too. Social media doesn’t need you as much as your soul does.
4. Go Somewhere Sacred — Nearby
Visit a garden, a church, a hilltop, or a lake. Go alone when you can. Don’t fill the time with noise. Let God speak. He will. He all the time does. We just forget how one can hear Him.
5. Give Yourself Permission
This could be the toughest one: Let it’s okay that you simply’re not producing something on a regular basis. Even God rested. So why are we attempting to outperform Him?
Rest Is Resistance
In a world that claims you’re only as worthwhile as what you produce… rest is a type of revolt. When you select to rest:
-You resist the spirit of hustle culture.
-You resist the temptation to define yourself by your grind.
-You resist the pressure to all the time be “on.”
And in that resistance, you discover restoration. And in that restoration, you discover God. Again and repeatedly.
I’m not writing this because I’ve mastered rest. I’m writing this because I’ve burned out attempting to do an excessive amount of for too many for too long. I’ve stood on stages proclaiming freedom while living in bondage to my schedule. And I’ve felt the sweetness of God’s whisper after I finally sat still long enough to listen to Him say:
“You don’t need to earn My love. You don’t need to prove your value. You are enough — because I’m.”
That’s the remaining your soul is on the lookout for. And whether you discover it on a beach or in your backyard, don’t let this summer pass without finding it.
Let’s Make This Summer Sacred
This summer, I challenge you to vacation with God, even when you never leave your zip code. Turn off the noise. Reclaim your peace. Take a break – not only to your body, but to your soul.
You may not find a way to afford a hotel, a plane ticket, or an Airbnb — but you possibly can afford stillness. You can afford to sit down on the feet of Jesus. You can afford to say no to the hustle and yes to holiness. You can afford to be human. And that’s good enough. Then let me know what He shows you. We here at CGM are encouraging a movement of Holy vacation and a summer of sacredness.
Send me a message on Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook – search Cynthia Garrett Ministries. Email me through CynthiaGarrett.org I would like to listen to what rest looks like for you — and the way you’re selecting to obey the decision to “Be still and know…that He is God!”
Vacation is nice. But resting in Him is even higher.
Photo Credit: Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/LordHenriVoton
Cynthia Garrett broke barriers when she became the primary African American woman within the U.S. to host a network late-night show, NBC’s Later with Cynthia Garrett. She is currently seen on TBN and Salem Media networks, in addition to on Fox News and other news outlets, addressing cultural issues and today’s news. The Cynthia Garrett Podcasts premiere weekly on all major podcast platforms.
A highly sought-after speaker, writer, TV host, and ordained minister, Garrett is the writer of The Naked Truth: Reclaiming Sexual Freedom in a Culture of Lies (2024), I Choose Victory: Moving from Victim to Victor (2020), and Prodigal Daughter: A Journey Home to Identity (2016). For more information, visit www.cynthiagarrett.org
