Volume 43: Rest in Stories to Tell
Did you know that this summer, I have had a nail in my tire and a nurse back into my car and damage it... In the real world, this may not affect much, but here at camp... it takes over your OFF DAYS and who wants to be an adult on your day off?? Not me!!
Well, I got the tire fixed and now have an appointment to get my bumper fixed so things are looking up!
Speaking of cars, you know how sometimes the empty light comes on when you're low on gas?
Well, luckily, I haven't run out of gas this summer in my car. Butttttt my empty light has blinked a couple of times on my physical body.
Just yesterday morning, I felt empty on gas... Both Saturday and Sunday started with issues to solve rather than time to be still before the Lord and it affected me. It made me aware of how desperately I need Jesus each and every day - to sustain me.
Ali's grandfather.
Clara Parker's sister.
Grant's aunt.
Peyton's grandmother.
Moreau's grandfather.
Marshall's uncle.
Luke's grandma.
Just in a week's span, these staff were faced with darkness, as they grieved the loss of a family member. Even in the midst of the children's joy and laughter and fun of camp, we still live in a broken world. And it can be hard for me to field these things and not allow them to wear me down.
And then on top of that, there was a returning staff member quitting, a thunderstorm during check in, and a staff member that needed to go to the ER.
But then, in a moment of still, we were singing out the lyrics "Jesus, we love you. Oh how we love you. You are the one our hearts adore."
As I turn to Debbie and ask her to be praying for me, the next lyrics came, "you lift our weary head. You make us strong instead. You took these rags and made us beautiful." To which she then said "This is what we are proclaiming."
Amen! What a beautiful God we serve who is willing to take our weakness and provide our strength! And somehow make something good out of our brokenness.
Pastor Eric sends us an email every Friday of some of his thoughts - kind of like his own version of unpluggers! Yet, with much deeper thoughts and wisdom! Anyways, I'm a couple of days late on reading it but it came at just the right time.
In his email titled, "On NOT Over-Thinking Our Prayers," I love the way he summed up prayer as "Bringing up a great deal to God and leaving a lot with him."
May we find rest in the fact that we can take it ALL to Him and He never gets weary or overwhelmed or stressed by the things that we bring to Him. Where as I quickly get overstimulated in not knowing how to best love our staff that are going through a variety of things, I can simply lift them up to Him and He will provide.
Pastor Eric goes on, seeing prayer as "risking based on his goodness and intelligence, like a child, we tell and ask of Him EVERYTHING. Offering him all sorts of things. Asking. Confessing. Whining. Puzzling. Raising questions. Processing emotions. This is how we come to know him. Jesus called it eternal life."
I love his list of ways that we can pray - that God cares about all of our questions and emotions and feelings. That it doesn't have to look a specific way. We can approach God exactly how we feel in that moment.
Whether joyful or anxious or weary or hopeful, may I be quick to go to God in prayer! Taking it ALL to Him and then surrendering it to Him.
GIVE US STORIES TO TELL
"My prayer is that we would have stories to tell... lively testimonies of our Sovereign Savior's stunning action, healing, formation, renovation and supply... How about we embark on looking for stories to tell of God's involvement, however seemingly small?"
Just as in Luke 7, when John sent his disciples to ask Jesus if he was the Messiah and Jesus tells them, "Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them."
Here at camp, we may not have such extreme miracles, but we sure do have many stories to tell!
Stories of Lola's seven year old camper asking her to help her read her Bible!
Stories of Cam's pastor praying for Camp Ozark every Wednesday all the way in New Zealand!
Stories of Sarah being at camp for a month and being championed by her counselors, even though she is quiet and reserved.
Stories of Tony from Mexico coming back to camp another summer because "being here last summer changed my life."
Stories of staff like Olivia and Blakely and Jane enjoying their summer and leaving with a new understanding of community and having grown in their faith.
Stories of my own personal dependence on Jesus growing this summer.
May we embark on LOOKING for stories!!!! Because man is our God worthy of us proclaiming all of the ways we see Him working and moving!
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