It's the family holiday season. The word Holiday is derived from "Holy Day". Going back a few centuries time off from work was often due to a religious festival. 

Holy means "set apart". In a religious sense that is set apart for the service of God. Saying we want to learn to be more holy does NOT mean more pious and considering oneself to be better than others. Rather it means to set aside more of ourselves and our lives to becoming more like Jesus and to do His work in our world today. For most people, it doesn't mean set apart (separated)  from the world. It means engaging with it: with the poor, the outcast, the sick … you can get pretty dirty becoming more holy!

Holy can also mean Whole. Our holy days, away from work, can refresh us and help us feel whole again, or are a chance to do something different that we can't do when we are working.

Our holidays are days we set apart from our normal day to day activities to try & re-balance ourselves more towards wholeness. Yet it is only in Christ that our joy is fully complete.

How about setting aside a little of your holiday time to draw nearer to God? Maybe read a Christian book or visit somewhere or find time to pray? A holy time in your holyday.

DG (webmaster)