Lakeside Thoughts || Part One

Several weeks ago, I went on a camping trip on a nearby lake with some dear friends.  We camped, laughed, hiked, and explored a world without tight schedules, mounds of clutter, and technology.

And sometimes, I still miss it - the waves beating against the shores, chattering girls as we slept in the nighttime world, the fresh air that reminded us of how free life was.  We returned home and accepted normal life.  Yet I remember.

So I recorded some of the tidbits of our time.  My goal is to give you a glimpse into the serenity of lake life and get your thoughts flowing.

I don't want to leave you thinking that the beauty I share is beyond reach.  My desire is to reveal questions so that we can pursue answers.  Let's desire Christ's beauty and the life He has prepared for us.  And let's chat together in the comments - what are your views on the questions I raise?

Here's part 1.

  

So little realness.

It's dark, nearly night.  The campfire burns even though we've finished dinner and cleared away the remnants.  As one team washes off the dishes, the rest gathers together under the trees.  Seats are opened.  We draw near.

And then we sing.  Some are hymns and others are light-hearted songs of praise.  We clap our hands, shut our eyes, and sing a capella because there on the beach, we don't have instruments.  Only the wind and the waves are the accompaniments to our songs as we stand on the shores.

When the last notes fade, we sit again and turn on head-lamps.  The darkness vanishes as Bibles are pulled out.  Someone shares while we follow along, taking turns reading.  Sometimes, a younger child wants her own turn, and we slowly follow along in our Bibles with smiles.

And then each group creeps away to their tents.  We find ours and, after the girls finish their own chattering, we gather close.  Their eyes meet mine as we talk about what we read.  They pull out notes and share their thoughts.

Voices die down.  We slip back into the night.  Soon, we're on the beach again, laying against the hard rocks.  I fold a hat under my head as a pillow.

The sky is a dark near-black color, but a million stars light it up like a ballroom.  A friend points out the Milky Way.  I feel small, watching the universe above me.

And then we see shooting stars.  First one, then another.  It's like they're dancing together, and soon we lose track of how many there are.  One girl says she saw more than twenty, others are nearing forty.

But I don't count, because with every meteor I want to scream and laugh and point because it's beautiful and amazing and God put it there for me to see.  My heart is pounding faster than those stars.  Together, all of us lay on the beach and admire His handiwork, scream our excitement, and act like little children because we are savoring life that much.

Then I come home.

It's cloudy, so I can't see the stars.  But it's not the same anyway.

My schedules begin.  I hurry to keep up with things, but I miss the connectivity we had.  So many families in our culture live their own lives, and they eat and laugh and talk together.  But somehow, they don't have a connected mission like we had on the lake.  They're distracted and preoccupied.  Maybe it's okay.  Maybe it's not.

I wonder what it would be like for all Believers to have a common goal.  To just fellowship and be together.  I wonder what it would be like if families shared among themselves, became vulnerable, or maybe just stood together and sang under the night stars.

Why is our culture so individualistic when being connected draws us together?  Why aren't families living like teams but instead clash and argue and live without love?

Why don't communities sing and read the Bible together?  Why don't they share truth and their thoughts and just sit together quietly when they have nothing to say?

We're so busy, and it steals our realness.

Does it have to be that way?

Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!

The Lord of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah

- Psalm 46:10-11

~♥~