Exodus 13:8 “On the seventh day you must explain to your children, ‘I am celebrating what the Lord did for me when I left Egypt.’”
The Jewish people cried out to God for over four hundred years to be released from slavery. Pharaoh was unwilling to free them. God promised the Jewish people freedom. They had to follow His instructions. God instructed them to cover their door frames with the blood of the lamb. When He saw the blood on the doorpost, He passed over their door. The houses without the sign of blood on their door post had their firstborn male son and firstborn male animal, struck down. He instructed the Jews to be fully dressed. They were to wear their sandals and carry their walking sticks in their hand. They were to eat unleavened bread as they had to be able to leave quickly with no time to wait for the bread to rise. From that day on they would celebrate the Festival of the Unleavened Bread. They were to explain to their children how the Lord brought them out of slavery.
Every year around the death of my daughter, we have a celebration. We celebrate the freedom from the bondage of grief. This year seventy-four family and friends went camping back to the place where my daughter left this earth and was received into the arms of the Lord. We have returned to this place for twenty-five years. Many of those who came were just young children who had no concept of the finality of death here on this earth. They now are parents themselves and are bringing their children to this beautiful place. Just like their parents, they are learning and watching the faithfulness of the Lord. I look back to that first year after the death of Katie and how broken our family and friends were. As the story of my daughter’s life gets shared generation after generation, this entire campground witnesses year after year the goodness of the Lord to those who trust in Him.
In this beautiful campground sprinkled among the pine trees are these majestic aspen trees. This year for some reason as I sat in my chair during my quiet time I heard this breeze come slowly through the aspen trees. The leaves on the trees one by one started to dance and move to the wind. It almost looked like the trees were clapping. I thought even nature is celebrating along with us all the healing that has taken place in this campground. My heart is overwhelmed with God’s goodness and apparently all of God’s creation is praising Him too.
Lord, I witnessed how nature sings of your praises. Let the fields and their crops burst out with joy! Let the trees of the forest rustle with praise.
– Michele
