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Entertainment Topics
Hidden Benefits of Family Camping
Roughing It to Contentment
Our perceptive friend, Mike Hudson, came back to town one Monday after a camping trip and noted how many times he had heard himself say the phrase, "I can't wait to…"
As they loaded the car with their equipment he said, "I can't wait to get to the mountains!" Once they were near their destination, he said, "I can't wait till camp is set up!" While they were pounding the stakes into the ground to anchor the tent, he said, "I can't wait till the fire is roaring!" On and on it went. While he was doing one thing, his thoughts were ahead on the next chore to the point that he couldn't enjoy what he was presently doing. "I can't wait till the food is ready…Can't wait till the dishes are done…Can't wait till we get in our sleeping bags," and, "I just can't wait till morning gets here!" Before the weekend was over, though, Mike had come to his senses and realized that all the joy of the experience was getting lost in his current attitude of discontentment.
Drawing from Mike's valuable well of wisdom, whenever I went camping with Nathan and Heidi after that, I determined not to let our trip be a frustrating exercise in anxiety. Instead, I consciously slowed down, relaxed, and purposefully tried to teach them to cherish all the steps of the journey as we took them, and not just the last one.
—Steve Chapman
Adapted from A Look at Life From God's Great Outdoors, copyright © 1999 by Steve Chapman. Used by permission of Harvest House Publishers, Eugene, Ore. All rights reserved.
Steve Chapman and his wife, Annie, are award-winning musicians who have taken their message of Christ-centered family to fans all over North America. Steve proclaims his enthusiasm for the gospel, for family and for hunting in A Look at Life From a Deer Stand (more than 100,000 copies sold), Reel Time with God, What a Hunter Brings Home and With God on a Deer Hunt. To read more about Steve and Annie's ministries, visit their Web site at www.steveandanniechapman.com.
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