A Surprising Chapter

Two summers ago, our ten year old broke his arm after only a few short hours of arriving at summer camp.  It was a quick trip to the emergency room and then home for him.  While his friends continued on with a weekend of excitement and adventure, he spent the next couple of days with his arm in a sling, waiting for the swelling to go down enough for the bone doctor to put it in a cast.

He was a trooper.  Didn't complain much.  But, you could see the disappointment in his eyes for days. 

And now, two summers later, out of the blue, came a gift.

His dad was asked to be the camp pastor this year, which meant mom and dad would both be attending kids' camp.  But, the older brothers would be away on a hiking expedition. 

Which left one lone boy who needed a place to be.  He would get to come to kids' camp again, even though he is now in middle school and shouldn't have been able to attend.  When he heard he could stay in the cabin with his parents and still take part in all the exciting activities, his eyes shone.

"Mom," he said while we were packing.  "I think this is God's way of making that summer up to me.  An extra year at camp."

And of course it is.

For God is a God of second chances.  Of gifts and surprises.  Of redemption.

Watching my boy roam the campground last weekend was pure delight.  He sure knows how to enjoy a present. 

And now he also knows an important truth.  His story might have some disappointing chapters, but it's never over when the book is in his God's hands.  There is always a new page to turn.