Stacie was excited as she said goodbye to her mother and got into the car. She and her friend Holly were going camping for a whole week with Holly’s Aunt Linda and Aunt Linda’s girl friend Lisa. The canoe was strapped onto the roof of the car, and the tent and sleeping bags were in the trunk. It was going to be fun. Stacie could hardly wait to get there.
The trip was long, and Holly and Stacie played games in the back seat most of the way. Every once in a while they got impatient and asked how much longer it would be before they got to the campsite. They stopped to get ice cream after a while, and a little later they stopped for something to drink.
There were more and more mountains the farther north they drove. They noticed the air beginning to get cooler, and they could see a few pine trees. The road went up and down steep hills until finally, at the bottom of a hill, they came to the river where they were going to leave their car.
As soon as the car stopped, Stacie jumped out with Holly right behind her. The river looked like it would be nice and cool to swim in, but they had to wait for Aunt Linda and Lisa who were lifting the canoe off the roof and unloading the car. The two six-year-old girls talked excitedly about all the things they were going to do—fishing, swimming, hiking in the woods—and about the toys they had brought with them.
At last the canoe was ready. The tent, duffle bags, sleeping bags and food were packed tightly in place, and there was just enough room in the middle for Stacie and Holly to sit. Lisa and Aunt Linda tied bright orange life preservers around the girls, helped them into the canoe, and then got in themselves. Stacie and Holly screamed as the heavily loaded canoe rocked back and forth. “We’re tipping over!” they wailed. Lisa and Aunt Linda just laughed, because they knew that canoes always tip a little when you get in them.
Holly and Stacie could hardly move, there were so many supplies packed around them, so they trailed their fingers through the water and watched the tiny bugs scooting across the surface of the river. After they paddled for a long time, the sun began setting behind a mountain as they came out of the river into a lake. “Just one more bend... we’re almost there,” Aunt Linda assured them. She and Lisa guided the canoe between a huge rock and an overhanging tree, then Lisa hopped out onto the shore.
It was a lot of work to unpack everything and set up the tent. Soon it was too dark to see. The only light came from the moon high over the water. Lisa lit a propane lantern so the girls could get ready for bed. Stacie and Holly were very tired as they crawled into their sleeping bags. They could hear Aunt Linda and Lisa splashing around in the lake. Just before falling off to sleep they decided they would go swimming first thing the next morning.
Stacie woke up and saw the sun shining through the tent window. At first she could not remember where she was. Then she saw Holly and the other two. Soon they were awake, too. Aunt Linda sent everyone into the woods to collect firewood so they could cook breakfast.
The day went by quickly. Holly took Stacie down to a rock to go fishing, but all they caught were some branches that were floating in the water. They went swimming at a little beach that Aunt Linda’s brother had found a few years before. Lisa had brought inflatable rafts for the girls to use in the water. Stacie found some mussel shells which she carefully piled up to take home to show her mother and father. She kept looking forward to the fun she would have telling them about the things she had done and seen on this camping trip.
Soon the sun was going down again, and it was time to eat dinner. Stacie could not help wondering what her mother and father were having for dinner back home. Suddenly she missed them very much. She tried to have a good time, but she kept thinking about how much her parents loved her and how good it would be to get back home and see them. Stacie was very quiet during dinner. All of a sudden she could not hold in her homesickness any longer and she started to cry. Lisa took her down to the lake, and they watched the sun setting and talked for a while—until Stacie felt better and thought she could go to sleep.
When morning came, though, Stacie still missed her parents terribly. She did not think she could wait until the end of the week to see them. She managed not to cry most of the day, but that evening she asked Lisa and Aunt Linda how many days were left. “Three days,” answered Lisa, and then Stacie could not keep her tears back. She cried herself to sleep that night.
Aunt Linda and Lisa knew how badly Stacie wanted to go home, so the next day the four of them got in the canoe and paddled their way back to the river and down to where their car was parked. They drove several miles to the nearest town and called Holly’s grandpa from a telephone booth. He said he would drive up and get the two little girls. When Stacie heard that she was glad, because it meant she would see her mommy and daddy again soon.
Stacie knew her mother and father loved her, and she loved them, too. Do you know that you have a Father in heaven who loves you? If you have received the Lord Jesus as your Saviour, then His Father (God) is your Father. Jesus said, “For the Father Himself loveth you, because ye [you] have loved Me, and have believed that I came out from God.” John 16:2727For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God. (John 16:27).
When we are away from those we love, we often get homesick. This probably has happened at one time or another to everyone. It can be a good thing, because it shows that our thoughts, interest and love are on the ones back home.
What about each of us who know the Lord Jesus Christ as our Saviour? Are we “homesick” to be with the One who loves us and died for us? Or, are we enjoying ourselves so much in this world that we are not thinking of our real home above—heaven? If we become too involved or too occupied with our daily activities, no matter what they are, we will not be watching for the return of the Lord Jesus.
Is the Lord Jesus your Saviour? If not, then why not accept Him right now. He loves sinners (you and me) so much that He died on the cross for the sins of all who would believe in Him. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:1616For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16).
ML-02/12/1984