As a physician, I see every day how easily unhealthy habits can become ingrained. But I also noticed something else. When we go on vacation, many of us naturally start doing things that are better for us.
Something often changes when we leave. We slow down, get outside more, spend more time with our families, and step away from screens and the constant pressures of everyday life. For many of us, it also creates more space to pray, reflect, and notice the beauty of the world around us.
And when you get home, many of those habits disappear.
That tells us something. Many of us already know what a healthier life looks like. The problem is usually not a lack of knowledge. Often we treat good habits not as part of everyday life, but as something temporary, something for a vacation or a quiet life.
The Bible reminds us in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. Taking care of your health isn’t just something you think about when life slows down. It’s part of management responsibility. And that management is not just physical. It also shapes how we value our relationships, how we spend time in God’s Word, and how we learn to rest.
We honor God not only when life is quiet. We honor God in the mundane patterns of daily life. This includes how we work, eat, rest, connect, worship, and pay attention to those around us.
That’s one of the things vacations teach us. It often reveals that we already know a healthier, calmer, less distracting way to live. When normal life resumes, we struggle to maintain that rhythm.
One of the problems of modern life is that we divide everything into compartments. We tell ourselves to rest when we go out, to spend more time with our family when things calm down, and to spend more time with the Bible when life calms down. We’ll focus on health later.
But life doesn’t really work that way.
As a doctor, I can tell you that chronic disease rarely develops from a single bad day. It develops from patterns that repeat over time, such as sitting too much, not getting enough sleep, poor eating habits, or chronic stress. The same is true spiritually. Time with God shouldn’t be something you only return to when you feel your life is quiet. Health of body, mind and spirit should be part of our way of life.
That’s part of what we get on vacation. We move more, which has a positive impact on cardiovascular and metabolic health. Get more rest and let your body and mind recover. We distance ourselves from noise and distractions, which is good for our mental health. We make time for those who matter most. We are spending more time outdoors, and many of us find that our lives are clearer and less cluttered as a result. These are not the habits of unpacking your suitcase for a week or two and then packing it again when you get home.
The question may not be why vacation feels good. The question is, “Why do we only have access to a small amount of that wisdom in our daily lives?”
One of the simplest truths in medicine is that consistency is more important than intensity. Long-term health is usually not formed in one perfect week. It is formed by being active every day, taking regular breaks, making healthier choices, and forming daily habits that last.
The same is true spiritually. Most growth doesn’t happen in one dramatic moment. It happens through ordinary faithfulness, such as time spent regularly reading God’s Word, prayer, gratitude, repentance, worship, and daily choices to keep moving forward.
Galatians 6:9 is very helpful in this regard. “Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in time we will reap if we do not give up.” That applies not only to our service but also to the daily choices that shape our health and walk with God.
What if we stopped looking at vacations as mere escapes and started thinking about them as reminders? What if the things we value when we’re out, like time with family, time outdoors, better rest, and less distractions, become a pattern that we try to bring back into our daily lives?
But that doesn’t mean everyday life feels like a vacation. Real life is still busy. Real life is still full of responsibilities. Schedules fill up quickly. But even in the middle, there’s room for a better rhythm: intentional time with family, daily Bible verses, regular movement, healthier sleep, boundaries with technology, and moments outdoors where you slow down enough to notice what’s around you.
Vacations shouldn’t just be an escape from real life. At best, it can remind us how life should be lived. It can show us that a better way is possible. This method is characterized by getting more rest, spending more time outdoors, reducing distractions, and paying more attention to the people and priorities that matter most.
Vacations are an opportunity to enjoy family, make meaningful memories, and come back refreshed. That’s exactly what I want you to do. But when you get home, remember that you felt better while you were out. Get a little more rest, move your body a little more, spend time outdoors, read your Bible, and stay intentional with the people and priorities that matter most to you. These small daily choices shape both our health and our faith over time.
Photo credit: ©GettyImages/TinnakornJorruang
Dr. Ian Day is the Chief Medical Officer of Medi-Share, the nation’s leading faith-based healthcare sharing platform with more than 350,000 members. Medi-Share is committed to a holistic approach to Biblical health, helping our members live healthy, holy lives.
