Volume 86: Rest in Looking

It's officially May, aka the busiest and craziest month for the HR team... 

So there I was, on a Saturday evening, sitting at the kitchen table, trying to respond to some emails to prevent my inbox from filling up...

Until I received a text from Debbie saying,"I hope you can see the sunset." 

I stopped what I was doing and walked outside to the back porch and immediately looked up, in awe of the beautiful, bright orange sky surrounding me. 

If not for the text, I would not have looked up... 

I would have missed the beautiful sunset. 

I would have missed the opportunity to give thanks to God for His creation.

I would have missed the reminder that God is in control and powerful. 

And I don't want to miss those things! In the midst of chaotic days, attempting to meet needs of others, constant interruptions, etc. may I not be focused on the hard. But rather seek Jesus and all of the joys that come with working full time for a summer camp. 

To quote Craig Groeschel in a blog once again, he wrote,"you find what you are looking for."

Such a simple statement huh? But often times it feels really easy to look for distractions, and really hard to focus on the things of God. 

Craig also stated, "We get fixated on the presence of our problems and we lose our focus on the presence of God."

Last summer, I was having a good ole Morgan day where I felt completely overwhelmed, and in an effort of cheering me up, Cory asked, "well, what do you love about your job?"

And.... I responded.... with silence....

I have hundreds of reasons I love Camp Ozark, but in the moment, I was unable to give an answer...

Why? 

Because I was fixated on my temporary, tiny, earthly "problems" rather than seeing the joy all around me, literally occurring right outside my office door. 

So this year, one of my goals is to actively LOOK FOR God's presence! In all the small ways He shows up each day. 

Even this past week, in looking for God, 

I saw His presence in our permanent staff gathered at Alana's house for dinner, playing games outside and listening to live music on the back porch!

I saw His presence in the arrival of 16 staff from Florida, Mexico, New Zealand, Australia, Scotland and England all in one day!!!!

I saw His presence in the beautiful view from the cross!

I saw His presence in filling five rows at church and Pastor Bill inviting us up to the front to pray for our summer!

And this summer, as I look for God's presence, I will be able to answer Cory's question with many reasons!

I love the sight of the staff arriving for the first time and gathering in the BOP all together that first night!

I love the kids smiling ear to ear as they try new things and hang out with their friends!

I love the laughter and the singing and the friendships and the playing!

I love my job because of the purpose and mission!

Camp Ozark is an unique and special place! May I not focus on the hard!

One of my favorite stories in the gospels is when Jesus heals the bleeding woman. I love it for many reasons, but I think of it often in the summer for one reason - Jesus welcomes the interruption. He was already on a mission to heal Jarius's daughter, but he stopped to give His attention to this woman and healed her. 

It's beautiful to me! 

And at risk of making a stretch from Scripture, I have this piece of art above my desk this summer as a reminder to slow down, look around and allow interruptions. 

Jesus could have been focused on the problems that surrounded Him, yet He was fully confident His Father's presence around Him. 

May I do the same!

Other quick hitters from Winning the War in your Mind:

"God is whispering to you. 
But why? Why does our God whisper? 
He whispers because He is so close. 
And He whispers to draw us close."

"They were praising God for the who, not the what. Your circumstances may be bad but your God is still good."

"Don't just look at what's wrong. Look at what's right."