Tents

I didn’t grow up camping, but my husband did. He has so many fond memories of camping with his family and the things they did that bonded them together.

We love to camp! When we were first married, we would go camping in a tent. After having kids, we graduated from tents to a popup camper and now have a travel trailer. It is always an adventure, and I hope our kids talk about the memories with their spouses and kids one day, remembering them fondly.

Tent camping is definitely work. A popup camper is basically a glorified tent, so I’ll count that as well! Picking the right spot and making sure it’s level is vital. There’s nothing like the headache you’ll get if you sleep with your head pointing down. Then, putting down a tarp to keep as dry as possible. Setting up and taking down the tent with each pole in the right slot. Putting on the rain fly just in case. Organizing sleeping bags and clothes because it’s not very big inside. Setting up the outdoor kitchen as it is easier and roomier to cook outside. Whew! A lot of work but so much fun!

In 2 Corinthians 5, Paul says (The Message):

We know that when these bodies of ours are taken down like tents and folded away, they will be replaced by resurrection bodies in heaven—God-made, not handmade—and we’ll never have to relocate our “tents” again. Sometimes we can hardly wait to move—and so we cry out in frustration. Compared to what’s coming, living conditions around here seem like a stopover in an unfurnished shack, and we’re tired of it! We’ve been given a glimpse of the real thing, our true home, our resurrection bodies! The Spirit of God whets our appetite by giving us a taste of what’s ahead. He puts a little of heaven in our hearts so that we’ll never settle for less.

Tents or any kind of camping is for the most part temporary like these bodies in which we currently live. At any time our ‘tents’ can be taken down and put away.

We should long for the day when our ‘tents’ are no longer temporary but are new bodies that God has remade without blemishes or pain.

Like Paul said, we will never settle for less than our heart’s desire!