C.A.M.P.

C.A.M.P. - Comfort-Atmosphere-Maintenance-Perspective 

I think there are two different kinds of people in the world: those who like to camp and those who don’t. Have you ever gone camping? 

The closest I’ve been to camping was when my parents let me and my siblings camp out in our backyard for a night. I don’t even remember if we made it through the night in that tent. Our senses were heightened and I’m sure we believed that a bear or a wild coyote wanted to eat us. Who knows! That was the only time I remember camping.

I have come to realize that I am in the second group of people in the world. I do not like camping. (Glamping, on the other hand, sounds so much more intriguing and appealing to me, but that’s for another day.)

When I think about the whole camping process, I know it’s not for the faint of heart. There are essential supplies to remember, bedding and equipment to secure, activities to plan, and then, the job of packing it up and getting it all to fit in the vehicle. Wew!

Making sure the camp destination is desirable is also critical. This group of people want their camping experience to be the best that it can be! However, when it’s all set in motion, there is one thing that definitely can impact the whole camping experience and that’s the weather! 

Wonderful core memories can be made in these experiences. That’s probably one of the main reasons camping is worth all of the extra work and risk.

There are some specific things that can be cultivated and created when camping. The goal may be to have a campsite that is comfy, safe, and fun, but let’s dive deeper. Let’s relate this topic to our spiritual lives. Let’s all C.A.M.P.

COMFORT: Even with camping, no one wants to be uncomfortable. Comfort has a way of keeping us in place and making us feel safe. Comfort can often feel like convenience.

When the Israelites left Egypt to go to the Promised Land, there were many times that the “comfort and convenience” of having food and a place to sleep overshadowed the promise and freedom that the Lord had for them. They had exchanged the truth that they were slaves for a false thought of comfort.

When God calls us out of captivity into freedom, we can trust that God will provide and give us everything we need to make it to where He has called us to be. It may not always feel comfortable, but the truth is: we grow and transform outside of our place of comfort.

ATMOSPHERE: What surrounds and influences us affects us more than we realize. We have the authority in Jesus to change and create atmospheres that are filled with His presence. Think about the atmosphere of the Israelites’ camp for a moment. Do you think it was an atmosphere of hope? Moses was constantly at war with complaining spirits.

What we say matters and what we think influences the atmosphere and camps that we are in.

MAINTENANCE: In life, we maintain things. Camping certainly requires a person to do this. It’s a responsibility that ensures a positive experience.

For sure, life is hard. Our lives must be maintained. God wants us to trust Him and allow Him to help us through whatever kind of day we are having.

The Israelites had a difficult time trusting God and even when God rained down food from heaven, they quickly forgot His faithfulness.

As we maintain things in our life -- being good stewards of what God has blessed us with -- we must remember that God is faithful and wants to help us in times of need. Even when we can’t see, God is always working on our behalf.

PERSPECTIVE: Our perspective can be limited when we are in the camp.

Aren’t you thankful that God sees the bigger picture and reveals His revelation when we need it? So often our perspective can be limited by our circumstances.

Much like the Israelites, our perspective is based on what we naturally see. As we trust and allow God to lead us in our journey, we can move confidently that our circumstances do not dictate our outcomes.

Our perspectives might be on ground level, but God’s perspective is past, present and future. When we keep our eyes on Jesus, our focus becomes clear and our perspective changes.

There are seasons to camp and seasons when God calls us to move out of the camp. Let’s remember the acronym, C.A.M.P. – Comfort, Atmosphere, Maintenance, Perspective. This way we can remain obedient and focus on what God has called us to.

-Bethany Marshall