Camp... and Home

     Now I truly understand the meaning of the term, "Happy Camper."  Because this is the picture of one incredibly" happy camper"--on the last day of camp at pick up time.  If I had taken a picture of him six days earlier, the expression on his face would not have been quite so joyous.  In fact, he might have looked a bit like an eleven year old facing summer school in a Russian gulag.  Here he was heading to a wonderful camp, located right on a sparkling blue lake, full of counselors determined to help each child have great time, and numerous fun activities from wake-boarding (NOT water-boarding as my child feared) to swimming to archery to basketball.  Not only that, but some kind person (thankfully not his mama!) would cook and serve and clean up three child friendly meals a day, and our son wouldn't even have to help wash dishes or take out the garbage.  What's not to love?  Sign me up right this minute!
     Our son, however, loves home.  He patiently explained to me on the way to camp, "I'm just not really a camp person."  And when I picked him up today, he practically ran to me--I think we might have qualified for one of those slow motion tear-jerker Hallmark commercials.  Truth be told: I was just as overjoyed to see him!
     Don't get me wrong: he had a great time.  He LOVED the food--in fact, he went into rhapsodies over the food... especially the desserts (a child after my own heart).  He thought his counselor was the best. He enjoyed all the activities and loved all his friends.  But, he told me on the way home, "I really loved it... but I don't need to go back."  Been there, done that, time to go home.
     And that's just it.  Our son doesn't dislike camp, he just loves home sweet home.  His own bed, his own dog, his own bathtub, his own brothers and sisters, his own schedule (which mainly consists of golf and more golf with a little swimming and ping pong thrown in for good measure).
     There's just nothing like home, is there?  Even with all the mess and the noise and the peeling paint and the broken things and the unfinished projects... it is still a place of unconditional love and security and warmth and recollections that grow ever sweeter with time.  Even  the word itself, "home," conjures up so many memories and thoughts of silly inside jokes or  favorite family recipes or  grandparents or cousins sharing stories or strange but special family traditions.
     As we drove home from camp, and my son seemed to bask in the glow of a good week of camp--but an even better and greater future of HOME--I couldn't help but think of heaven, our true home.  You know, we truly are all just campers right about now.  This is not our home.  It's pretty wonderful: this good life, this beautiful planet, these precious loved ones who surround us.  But it sure isn't perfect, is it?  Still so much sorrow, so much disappointment, so much tragedy, so much brokenness.
      This life is a mighty fine camp... but it's not our home.  We're only passing through.  But one day, home is just up ahead, and, well, the best truly is yet to come.
      Sometimes we forget, don't we?  We forget that we are just at summer camp.  And things may not be just the way we like them.  We may be a bit uncomfortable.  We may feel out of place or homesick or tired or lonely or frustrated.  But they won't be like that forever.  Sometimes we just need to be reminded that our true, our perfect, our glorious eternal home is just around the corner.  There will be no more crying or mourning or worrying or doubting.  No more tears or failures or illnesses or death.  Just home.  Our true home.  Our joyously perfect home prepared just for us by our perfect, loving Savior.
     Camp is great... but home is better--infinitely, gloriously better.  Thank You Lord for this life.  But even more: thank You thank You thank You for the hope and the promise and the reality of our true eternal perfect home with You forever and ever.  To God, who is even now preparing our glorious home, be all the glory forever.