Jesus Did The Work

Recently, my husband and I were camping at Lake Cherokee State Park in Morristown, Tenn.  This was our first time returning to this campground since Brean was going into the ninth grade, Devan was going into middle school, and I was going into emergency surgery for a broken neck. (I just didn’t know at the time of our camping trip that my neck was broken.) Our family spent July 4th, 2011, tent camping here. After several very uncomfortable nights trying to sleep on an air mattress that inevitably was flat by morning and complaining nonstop about my shoulder pain, my husband cast in the white flag of surrender, and we came home!

This trip was a little different. It was just us and the wiener dog, Oscar. Even though the kids weren’t there, our third child, Oscar, made up for them. He’s suddenly experiencing anxiety. It’s the craziest thing! Oscar loves being on the boat with us, but kayaking is completely different. If he’s in Tim’s kayak then he’s barking and crying to be in mine. If he gets into my kayak, then he wants to be in Tim’s! He just doesn’t get why we’re in separate boats. And, when I was packing our things up to return home, I looked around, and there he had deposited himself into Tim’s overnight bag. He was petrified we were going to leave him. I going to have to get my doggie some essential oils for his nerves! 

Now that we are empty nest campers, Tim decided to get us a camper. Now, if you know my man, you know he goes big, or he goes home! I’m just saying. He bought a used 38-foot toy hauler camper. I spent weeks soaking every nook and cranny down with straight Clorox, only to find not even one smudge of grit. My job was complete; now, it would be up to Tim to navigate this bad boy out of our community. 

About eight weeks ago, a contracted company came in and tore down the small country bridge connecting our road to the main highway. They are currently building us a new, really awesome bridge. But, in the meantime, they have rerouted all the traffic along the boundary of a neighbor’s property in the shape of a slithering snake. Weeks before our departure, Tim told me he had been mentally plotting the course he would take with the camper behind us. 

The big day came, and before heading out, I insisted we have prayer; Tim, Oscar, and I joined hands to paws, and we prayed for the road construction and the trip. It was a Saturday morning when we pulled out. In the past eight weeks we had not seen any of the construction crew there on the weekend. But, High-Five-Jesus, they were this Saturday! With the help of the workers, some savvy driving, and help from God, Tim drove that beast through the construction with only two to three inches to spare on each side. As we made the final curve, a worker hollered at Tim and said, “Dude, that’s a really big camper for such a tiny road.” I just sniggered and thought, “Yep, go big or go home.” 

It was smooth sailing from there to the campsite. We pulled in, checked in, and received our lot number. When Tim pulled up to the lot, the view was beautiful, but the site was horrendous. It had a significant incline, and to the naked eye, it seemed very obvious that this 38-foot camper was in no way going to fit that site. To top it off, there were two huge trees that the camper would have to be guided through. Tim cased it out and decided we might need to talk with the lady back at the office. So we circled back to the front. Round 1 Drive-by is complete. 

The lady assured Tim that 40-foot campers had parked there plenty of times before and that we would fit. She then notified the camp host family that we needed assistance. Here goes Round 2 Drive-by of the site. Fortunately, the camp hosts were camping right in front of us. These were two of the kindest, most helpful humans I have ever met. We instantly connected and I was so grateful God put them in our path. Somewhere around an hour and a half later, Tim and our new friends had the camper in the slot. Now, it wasn’t leveled, but it was close enough. And, honestly, everyone was burnt up and exhausted from trying. That night, everything I sat on the counter slid off. 

Being a perfectionist, Tim couldn’t stand the camper not being level. So, by the end of day two, that camper was perfectly straight. And everyone at the campground was right. We did have the best spot. Numerous times in trying to park the camper, Tim and I both suggested to the staff that we just take another site. They were all adamant that the site we had was where they wanted us to stay because it was just so beautiful. 

As I looked at the lake and mountain backdrop I wondered why the view was so perfect on this one spot. It was the only place the trees and brush had been removed. It looked to me like it was something that needed to be done at every site so everyone could have better views. Then I found out. See, last week, the folks camping on the site to our left also decided the trees and brush needed removing. So, they took it upon themselves to clear it out. They cut the trees in a state park! 

Now, let me tell you, as an educator, I have sat through plenty of wildlife field trips to know that one should never, ever touch a tree, a flower, a butterfly—I mean nothing living in a state park. You do, and you’re going down for it. The people were fined, removed from the campground, and banned for life. Wow. 

Every evening as I chilled in my reclining chair with Oscar in my lap and appreciating the view, I knew it was because someone else had done the work and paid the price for my enjoyment. One day, I plan on reclining at the most magnificent spot in heaven with glorious backdrops of beauty I cannot even imagine, let alone describe. And I’ll get to do that because, once again, someone else paid the price for me. Jesus was fined, removed, and banned for being King of the Jews. And because I believe He died, rose, and still reigns, I will one day live in a place with one of the best views ever!