Last week Emily and I went on a mission. A mission to find camo. No, we’re not going hunting. We’re actually planning a family vacation. In a few weeks we’ll be packing our bags and heading off to family camp near Kalamazoo, Michigan. Our family had visited this camp seven years ago. We think it’s about time we go back.  

One of the things we – and when I say “we,” I mean “me and my girls” – love about family camp is theme nights. Every night there’s a different theme, and campers are encouraged to dress accordingly.

You can see some of our theme nights from past years along the left side of this post. 

So this year, one of the theme nights is called “Beards on the Bayou,” inspired by the TV show, Duck Dynasty. I’m thinking we’ll skip the beards, but we are definitely doing the camo!  

Growing up on a farm, I had two outdoorsy brothers who were always wearing camo. But me? Not so much. I knew this would require a trip to the mall.

As Emily and I walked through the parking lot, I gave her a warning.

“Now Emily,” I said, “you’ll need to keep your eyes peeled because it might be tough to spot camouflage clothes …”

I waited for a reaction, but she gave me nothing.

“You know, because they’re camouflage! Get it?” I chuckled, feeling clever. Emily just gave me a sympathetic smile and shook her head.

But seriously, I thought finding camouflage clothes for us girls might be a challenge. I mean, besides my brothers, who wears camo?

Well as it turned out, camouflage was everywhere! We found camo shirts, pants, skirts, vests, and shoes. In all my recent trips to the mall I’d never noticed so much camo before!

As I stood in a check-out line, it occurred to me that searching for camo is much like hunting for the little blessings in life.

On the most part, I do a pretty good job of noticing those big blessings. Things like my home. My marriage. Our three healthy kids. My faith.

But how often do I see the little blessings all around me? Things like air conditioning on a hot summer day. A husband that humors me and dresses up for theme nights at family camp. Whitey’s Reese’s peanut butter cup malts. A great song on the radio that immediately puts me in a better mood.

Once Emily and I became intentional about looking for camo, we found it everywhere.

And God’s blessings are also everywhere.  

What little blessings can you spot in your life today? They’re all around, you know. I’m sure you can find them. You just need to be looking …