No Place I'd Rather Be

As a child, there was no place I'd rather be than... Camping!  Yup.  It's one of my fondest young memories.   

As a child, I loved everything about camping from the pre-trip packing to setting up the campsite.  

I couldn't wait to go swimming in the lake or have dinner on paper plates at the picnic table.  Sleeping in a sleeping bag and singing around the campfire were wonderful.  The best thing about camping was being with my family.

As great as camping was there is one thing that surpasses that experience by far. 

As a young adult, I put Psalm 27:4 to memory because this verse tells best my favorite place to be.     

One thing I ask from the Lord,   

this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord    

all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the Lord    

and to seek him in his temple.

There are distractions around every corner of our lives.  Things that pull our focus from the importance of gathering together as Believers.  Things like sporting events, weariness, work opportunities, and kid's school or sporting activities.  

With all the allures of the world, there's still No Place I'd Rather Be than worshiping the Lord with God's people together at church.  

I hope I never forget the fond memories of camping as a child, but far better than those memories is the priority my parents placed on teaching me the value of coming together in a place of worship with God's people.   

My parents created an appetite for the things of the Lord early in my life.  Camping holds great memories, but camping happened only one week each year.   Whereas, being with God’s people was year around and multiple times each week.  Coming together as Believers, cultivated in me a desire to dwell in the house of the Lord.  

Now that I’m in my 60’s, there is No Place I’d Rather Be than...to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple.