Something to rejoice over

 

It was chilly last night. I believe it got down to nearly 32 degrees. Normally that would be no big deal. My heat pump and insulation keeps my house at a nice 72 degrees this time of year with little effort. But last night, my family and I were not in our house. We were dwelling in tents.

The reason for that is we are at the Feast of Tabernacles. And if you are not familiar with what that is, you can read about it in Leviticus 23:33-42 and Deuteronomy 16:13-15. But basically it is a commanded seven-day camping trip that happens about this time of year every year.

We look forward to this feast. Not only is camping fun, but part of the commandment says that we are to be “only rejoicing.” At the feast we do special things like have a bounce house slide and obstacle course on site during the week. We do kid crafts like building sukkah’s (Hebrew for temporary dwelling place i.e. tents) out of graham crackers and all kinds of candy. We have field days with three legged races, eggs toss competitions, obstacle courses, and kick ball games. We go fishing, go for hikes, spend time in nature and try our best to shut out the outside world and just be grateful for all that Yahweh has given us.

We make this time of year special by giving each other feast gifts, eating great food, and participating in special activities. My kids don’t know this yet, but since our feast site is in Blue Ridge this year, we are going to take them on a zipline adventure. I don’t know if I can fit it in, but I would like to go do the Blue Ridge Rail Bikes. That is a cart that is pedaled like a bike but rides on the scenic rail lines here.

The Feast of Tabernacles is a time of year to spend making memories with your family and having a good time with those around you. We take care of each other, give freely and try our best to rejoice only. But that is not all Tabernacles is about.

 

This feast is to remind us what the experience was like for the Children of Israel when they were in the wilderness for 40 years prior to going into the promised land. And I have to say, camping with a group, including people you have never met before, is a different experience. For example, at my house we have our family prayer at 9:30 p.m., then brush our teeth and get into bed around 10 p.m.. Our circadian rhythms are set to that.

At the feast, however, we are reminded that other families don’t seem to go to bed that early. And since tent walls have no sound proofing you get to listen to them continue to feast as you are trying to get your  4-year-olds to sleep.

 

I remember the third day of the feast waking up to other family sounds, including toddlers having meltdowns, bodily noises associated with the sinus stuff that accompanies sleeping outside in the cold, etc. I laid in my sleeping bag and smiled thinking that in the wilderness, this is what it was always like. They had less privacy and lots more sounds.

 

But I realized this living arrangement produced something else that the Children of Israel had more of… community.

The day prior I enjoyed watching all the kids playing for hours straight just running, climbing big rocks, and riding bikes. The older boys were making fires and trying to cook their own eggs. There was a bamboo grove on site, and one of the dads started making bamboo whistles for all the kids. Anytime anything needed to be done, people pitched in to help. Whether it was setting up a tent for an elderly person, putting together the canopy we used as a dining fly, or cooking the meals, everyone helped and were glad to do it.

And even though sleeping in a tent in 32 degree weather doesn’t sound ideal, the feelings you get from spending Tabernacles with families in the faith, doing the same, increases your feeling of belonging to that community and, for me at least, helps you to rejoice even more.

 

It also makes me feel that much more grateful for the things at home with which Yahweh has blessed me. I have a home with insulated walls that stays 72 degrees when it is freezing out. I have a bedroom that is so quiet we have to run a fan for ambient noise. But something else I have at home that I am grateful for is our rentals.

You see, some of the guys here have to head back to town today to go to work, leaving their family and the joys of the feast. They own small businesses and can’t be gone the whole week. But our rental properties are working for us, producing income, while we are here. That allows me to be gone for these seven days without my income changing one bit. And that, my friends, is something to rejoice over.

 

Joe and Ashley English buy houses and mobile homes in Northwest Georgia. For more information or to ask a question, go to www.cashflowwithjoe.com or call Joe at 678-986-6813.