In less than a week, 287 Chinet paper plates, 225 red solo cups, 3 boxes of pancake mix, 5 pounds of butter to get us started, 12 rolls of paper towels, pirate costumes in every size, mermaid paraphernalia (whatever that means) more beach toys than can be numbered, and 15 Mannings by birth or marriage, will all head east until we run out of land and spend seven days together in a house by the sea.

Steve McQueen made his famous motorcycle get-away on a TR6 Triumph. We will make our great escape in a black suburban loaded to the ceiling with everything needed for life under the sun.

Taking up the most room in each family vehicle whose GPS is set to the Carolina Coast, will be the hopeful plans of finding a temporary off-ramp to refuel body, mind, and soul.

Dutiful, sleep deprived mamas, dedicated salesmen mind-weary from months of smiling and shaking hands, over-tasked defenders of our nation, blurry-eyed business-builders ready to see the world through anything other than a camera lens, a financial exec committed to putting everyone else’s life in order while longing to bring a bit to her own, and two eager grandparents attempting to fight back age and prove they still have what it takes to keep up with four rambunctious pirates and three charming mermaids will all arrive seeking sun and solace. Do you see yourself in there anywhere?

If we search scripture, we will find we are not alone. The Bible is filled with great escapes that would put McQueen’s to shame. Some exited for righteous reasons. Others just because they had had enough.

Moses took off after the anger of injustice drove him to murder. Turns out his 40-year escape into the wilderness was merely the training ground for a much bigger assignment.

Elijah had been through it. Burned out and depressed after a roller coaster of cinema-worthy ministry left him fighting for his life, he fled the scene, collapsed beneath the first tree, and asked God to just go ahead and let him die. That’s when God showed up–not in a great display of wind or fire, but in that undeniable still small voice we all seek.

David, it seems, was always escaping from something or someone—very often himself. Can you relate? But what he wrote down during His times in green pastures and dark caves offers understanding and direction in our own escapes.

And Jesus, Himself, gives us the greatest permission for righteous escape. How often did He step away from the crowds to seek a quiet place to be refreshed and restored as He centered Himself in the will of the Father?

Point here? God can use our escapes. So, permission granted to get out and away. But don’t go alone. Make your escape purposeful. Whether it’s a cup of coffee on the back porch or a week by the sea, take God on that off-ramp. Share your heart, seek His will, and listen for that still small voice that will speak peace and purpose for the road ahead.