Leisure Time?

We are called to be good stewards of our resources - and our time. I believe that each of us can consider how God might be calling us to make a choice to do something meaningful for His Kingdom; something that may even be counterintuitive - such as traveling on a missions trip rather than a vacation. The Bible tells us in 2nd Corinthians 9:
8 ... God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.
9 As it is written: "He has dispersed abroad, He has given to the poor; His righteousness endures forever."
10 Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness,
11 while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God.

Sysouk Vongphasouk was born in Laos, but came to America as a child. He and his wife Nancy are quite well-off, you might say. A God Reports article says: "He designs layouts for medical equipment in hospitals. She’s an architect. They make enough money to afford a high-end vacation."

But, instead, as the article notes, they have spent vacation time building playgrounds for children in Thailand, some of whom have been trafficked. He says: “The reaction of the kids is priceless. It’s hard to describe the feeling you get when you see these kids who don’t have a home, don’t have a family, and they’re trying to find some love in the world, when they are able to see a playground that’s big for them brings them great joy..." He adds, "You get a little tired from building, but seeing the kids so excited gives you back 10 times. When they finally get to play on it, they have just pure joy.”

Sysouk works for a company that not only allows its employees to take time off to go on missions trips, but actually sponsors its employees to do so. 

The CEO, Suzanne Kowarsch, "went on a life-changing short-term mission trip to Rwanda in 2008, shortly after the tribal genocide." Suzanne had become a Christian through an invitation by a friend to come to church, and the article relates: "the Rwanda trip gave her a focus beyond the materialistic side of the American dream." She notes: “It rocked my world,” adding, “I felt a complete and deep sense of love and belonged to this church (in Rwanda). I couldn’t explain why except that it was implanted in me.”

Suzanne adds: “As the sole shareholder of the company it’s easy for me to not answer to anybody but the Big Man upstairs,” adding, “I choose lower profits and to spread the money around.”  She was part of a team, along with the Vongphasouks, to build playgrounds in Thailand for trafficking victims.  The article notes:

Suzanne says the trip to Thailand to build a playground for formerly trafficked girls cut her heart.

“All of us on the team were deeply hurt by the knowledge” of how sex trafficking works, she says. “You can’t unlearn it.”

The article relates: 

Shockingly, Sysouk says, most of the sex trafficked were sold by their own family members. They were not kidnapped. One case was a pair of daughters whose parents died; their uncle was heartless and sold them.

Our Heavenly Father, as James 1 tells us, is the giver of all good gifts. We can think about the spiritual blessings that God has bestowed on us.  We can also recognize that He gives financial resources to be used for His glory.  And...He has given us the gift of time.  Suzanne Kowarsch gives her employees time and material resources in order to help others - it's informed by her Christian faith.  We can reflect on time that God has given to us in order that we might bring Him glory.  We can make sure that we are stewarding that time in an honorable way.

Now, there's nothing wrong or even selfish with a vacation, even a "high-end vacation," that the article I cited refers to. But, there may be instances where God is directing us to take what could be used as "leisure time" in order to take part in a missions project.  Perhaps making a choice to engage in Kingdom work locally or even internationally.  Our actions, what we choose to participate in, should reflect our desire to glorify God.