We had another wonderful Family Camp at Camp Christian this year. The main speaker, Jeff Bush from the MVA Church of Christ, shared important principles for families, including the importance of love, respect, honor, and accepting influence (also known as mutual submission). Although the messages and the music were wonderful, that is not what makes Family Camp so special. The families make it special. Every year I see how families have grown, not just in numbers but in Christ-likeness as well. It reminds me of an important thread I see running through Scripture.

The thread begins in the Garden of Eden when God blesses Adam and Eve. He blesses them with a garden filled with vegetation—fruits and vegetables, beautiful flowers and plants. He blesses them with beauty, peace, and relationship. From that blessing, He calls them to be a blessing. They are to be a blessing by stewarding the garden and all the creatures who dwell in it, to cultivate it and protect it, keep it and tame it. So begins the thread, God blesses His people so they will be a blessing.

A few chapters later, God calls Abram and gives him a blessing. He promises to bless Abram with land. He will also bless him by making him a great nation and making his name great. Then God gives him the command to “be a blessing.” (The end of vs. 12 is actually an imperative, a command, in the original language.) God blessed Abram so he would be a blessing…and all the families of the earth would be blessed through his descendant.

The thread continues. We hear it announced in Psalm 67: “God be gracious to us and bless us, and cause His face to shine upon us—that Your way may be known on the earth, Your salvation among all the nations…God, our God blesses us. God blesses us, that all the ends of the earth may fear Him” (67:1-2, 6b-7).

Which brings us to Family Camp. This year we focused on the blessing we have received from God as told by Peter (1 Peter 2:9). He has chosen us, made us royal and holy, taken us as His own possession. What a blessing. We are part of His Kingdom, His family. And I see that in the words, actions, and interactions of all those at camp. Families shared time with each other and with other families. Families made up of individuals of all ages served and cleaned together, played together, worshipped together, cooperated with one another, helped one another, comforted one another, ate with one another, encouraged one another, shared fellowship with one another…the list goes on. The blessings poured out by God through each one and each family to another one and another family. We—as God’s chosen race, royal priesthood, and holy nation—are truly a blessed people.

And we are blessed to be a blessing, to “proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9).

Perhaps that’s why Peter “sums up” his section on family and human relationships by telling us to “be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit; not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but bless instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing” (1 Peter 3:8-9).   What did I learn at Family Camp this year? We are part of a long thread of blessing that began in the Garden of Eden and continues to this very day, right here in our families. We are richly blessed. So…be a blessing.