BUGS, DIRTY SOCKS & GOD
Ah, Summer; wonderful fodder for dreams and schemes! I just returned from Bayview Christian Camp where I was Dean for a great bunch of children aged eight, nine and ten. We had a record number of campers for this age group and, boy, did they have fun! I can say this with great confidence since all the campers were returned to their respective parental units, with a goodly amount of grime covering their exteriors and a big smile shining from their interiors.
If you haven't been a camper, or if you have never sent your children to camp, I must say that you're missing out on quite an experience! Christian Camp is undoubtedly a life-changer! Where else can you go and enjoy these transforming arts?
- Bug Battling - You might think such a fight isn't worth exploring, but you would be wrong. There are many skills, qualities and lessons that such a struggle produces, like:
Quick Reflexes - As you try to slap and squish the little devils before they inflict pain, or itch, or both.
Self Control - As you try not to scratch the itches and turn your arms and legs into something that makes you look like the victim of a slasher movie. Not all our campers were successful!
Mental Strengthening and Focus Techniques - As you try to go to sleep with the sound of B-52 bombers (mosquitos) buzzing in your ears. By the way, such an experience is slightly less annoying then the famous Chinese water torture! Of course, it's really the buzz followed by the silence that's supremely scary because, like the loud buzzing and then sudden silence of the Buzz Bombs over England in WWII, you know you're going to become a casualty. But, on the positive side, such a happening reminded me of a wonderful quote from Betty Reese which states: "If you think you are too small to be effective, you have never been in bed with a mosquito." A large amount of wisdom there!
Humility- As you realized that you have become a food source; a lowly link in the food chain.
Patience - As you wait for the bugs to land long enough on your arm to pursue their demise.
- An Object Lesson - Did you know that only the female mosquitos feed on our blood? It seems that they need blood in order to produce eggs. In other words, without blood, there is no new life. I bet you know where I am going with this. Every time you see a bulging blotch of itchiness upon your arm, or leg, let it be a reminder of the cross! For just as a mosquito needs our blood in order to create new life; we need the blood of Christ to cleanse us of our sins so that the Holy Spirit can take up residence in our hearts and create new life from within! Almost makes you want to let the little suckers live, doesn't it? Nah!
Cabin Co-habitation - There is nothing quite like sharing a cabin with a bunch of other guys or gals. What an eye-opening experience for the first time camper! Here we learn such skills and traits as:
Cooperation - As the entire cabin learns to work together to overthrow the ruling government (cabin counselor).
Extreme Tolerance - As each person learns to live with each others' shoes, dirty socks, and feet.
Appreciation of Diversity - As the symphony of squeaks, hums, snorts, grumbles and disjointed speech fills the night air. Each person has their own unique part, their own skill and sound to add to the Cabin's Nocturnal Overture. I, for example, am a bass drum! Or, is that a buzz saw?
I could keep adding to this list, but time or space won't permit me. Instead, let me share with you a couple of my memorable moments. Both have to do with the same person.
There was a little girl who came to camp this year for the first time. Let's say her name was Ruth even though that's not her real name. She, along with seven or eight other children, have no church affiliation or experience. What a wonderful honor it is to be able to be the first people to share the Good News of the Gospel with a young child. In the case of Ruth, the first incident I will always remember was at the campfire one night when Polly, one of the counselors, was sharing an object lesson with the kids. As she shared about God's love and our need to remain in Christ and receive His love, Ruth's face began to register a sense of serious surprise. You could tell by her questions about Jesus and about God, that she really was a blank slate about all things spiritual. She was amazed that God loved her so and that He wanted to know her. I saw all kinds of lights flash in her mind and all kinds of questions come to the surface. Eventually, we had to end the campfire time, but, boy, was she hungry and excited!
The second moment occurred on the morning of last day when she was just about to leave. Ruth came up to me all bubbly and excited. She just had to recite for me the very first verse of God's Word that she had ever committed to memory. When I praised her diligence, she beamed. I will never forget the look on her face and the joy in her eyes. I already know that if she is still in our area next year, she will definitely be at camp.
Ok, so what do I want to point out to you
about this weeks'camp experience?
First, there are many good and wondrous blessings associated with serving our Lord. To be able to preach a sermon that sets hearts afire is amazing! To know that God is speaking through you is divine! To be a help and a comfort in a time of need is satisfying. But, there just isn't anything like the feeling that comes with introducing a person to the love of Christ for the first time. Everything else pales in contrast. So, if your faith is beginning to falter and your walk is starting to stumble, try sharing the grace, the love, the joy of knowing Jesus with someone who doesn't know Him. When you see the wonder, the excitement and the joy that such revelation brings, your faith will be totally retransmorgrified!
Second, remember what a revelation the Gospel truly is! After a few dusty years in the Church, we can take this greatest miracle, this most amazing truth, and turn it into ho-hum-drum. Time to check out your thankful meter and see if you're taking the gift of forgiveness and new life for granted. If you are, think back to what you once were and thank God for the joy of the journey! Christ is real; so is His love! Finding that out for the first time really shouldn't be any more exciting than experiencing it for a life-time, should it?
If you have any first-time faith, or camp stories to share, why not send me an email by clicking on my name at the bottom of this page?
