Article for 8-1-10 newsletter, Columbus Street Baptist Church, Bakersfield, CA
SENIOR MOMENTS by Grandpa Dick
Camp Keep-Not For Wimps
Our Grandson, Caleb, is in his third year at California Baptist College. As a youth in our church, he went to camp each year. This is a story about his first camping trip away from home.
When kids reach 6th grade in the school districts here in Kern County, they are sent to a week long school at camp. When it was Caleb’s turn, he had never been anywhere without his parents. I volunteered to go as a counselor, and ended up in Caleb’s cabin with about eight other boys. The cabin had bunk beds, and he chose the upper bunk over mine. He did ok, during the day, and was pretty good at night, until the third night, when one of the other boys cried himself to sleep. I’m sure it made the other boys even more homesick, and to Caleb’s credit, he coped by reaching down in the night to hold my hand, which was reaching up to him. Neither of us has mentioned this little happening since, but someday we will discuss it as a fond remembrance.
We each have our own ways of coping with new and stressful situations. I like to think of this story as an illustration of how God reaches out to us in times of need. The important thing to remember is that as He reaches out, we also have to reach out to Him, in order to receive his comfort, blessings and courage.
A group of our kids just recently attended Church camp. A few of the younger ones were away from home for the first time. God helped them through the uncertainties of the week of activities.
We recently had several kids make decisions in Bible School. God was reaching out to them offering salvation, but to be saved, they had to reach up and receive the blessings. God is reaching out to each of us every day. Are you ready to receive his blessings? We need to have our heart in the right place to receive God’s touch every minute of every day.
Grandpa Dick
