I’m writing this post for 2 reasons.  One, because I wanted to let you guys know that I’ll be going dark for the next week and you won’t see much from me if anything at all.  But secondly, I’m writing why it’s so important that I do and why it’s important for you too.

This week I will be embarking on my first summer vacation as a “Rohrbaugh.”  That’s right, the Rohrbaugh’s are taking the Outer Banks and we all couldn’t be more excited!  We’ve invited my parents and my husbands parents as well, for all they did for our wedding and what they do throughout the year for us.  But just as much as we all need a vacation from work, there’s so many other reasons we need a break! A break from our phones, a break from social media, a break from our homes, and to just enjoy the solitude!

I always like to refer to Jesus and how he did things as a guide for my life, even down to the simple things. If you take note of how Jesus dealt with life, he was a people person.  He traveled in a pack of 12 others and he spoke to crowds and reached out to others constantly.  But Jesus also knew balance. He knew when it was time to be alone and when to withdrawal from the crowds. You see throughout his life after he performed miracles, in times of grief, before choosing the twelve apostles and at other times he had a consistent practice of solitude. He even invited the disciples to share in times of group solitude (family solitude.) “Then because so many people were coming and going, he said to them “come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” So they went by themselves in a boat to a solitary place.” Mark 6:31

Solitude is a valuable practice. Alone time, especially with God, can allow us to evaluate questions like, Are we in the right relationships? Are we doing our life right or are we doing life the way everyone else seems to think life should be lived? Are we making our marriage and family the priority the way God sees fit? And these are just a few of mine.  But it’s amazing what a break can do. It’s ultimately a time of strengthening, a time of refreshment, a time of sharing our deepest thoughts with God and a time to be inspired by the beauty around us that we might not otherwise notice.

Breaks bring peace and positive change. My prayer is that after a week of this time I spend disconnected, I come back better then ever and full of inspiration to serve my husband, family and you, my followers the way God intends.  I can’t wait to share my vacation as well as all my inspirations from the week! Have a great week and I’ll be back soon. Signing off!