My Life Was Changed At Summer Camp

^" Look at how great a love the Father has given us that we should be called God’s children." - 1 John 3:1

When I became a pastor, one of the things that came to my mind was that my days of going to youth events, doing fundraisers and going to youth camp were pretty much over. Some of you are chuckling because you know that has not been the case and honestly, I am fine with that because I think it is good for a pastor to work with the youth. However, I wish we had more participation from our men in youth ministry but that is a topic for a different day. My wife and I had the opportunity to take our youth to summer camp this year. I have served as a chaperone for the last few years. After going to camp for many years I have come to realize that camp is special but sometimes it can just be another task that has to be done.

That was my attitude towards camp this year; just another task that needed to be done in an extremely busy summer. The last few years our church has gone to summer camp at Tall Timbers Baptist Camp and participated in one of the Clear Camp weeks. One of the things that I have absolutely loved about this camp is that they actually care about the adults and their personal walk with Christ. The Adult Bible studies that we have had have been the highlight of camp for me. I truly appreciate their commitment to minister to the adults as well as the youth that come to their camps.

This is where I was at coming to camp this summer: It was something that had to be done but I looked forward to the Adult Bible study. I was praying for our youth to grow and truly form a youth group. I was focused on their growth and not mine. That's when God stepped in. God used those Adult Bible study times to help me wrestle with something I have been wrestling with my entire life, my self-worth. For as long as I can remember, I have defined myself by the failures in my life and God showed me this summer that no matter what my failures have been, He loves me and I am His child! One of the Bible study teachers told a story and God used it to help this truth click in my head finally. She told of a staffer counseling someone with an addiction. The staffer did not know how to counsel the person but had a friend, another staffer, that had struggle with the same addiction and overcame it. What was his answer to overcoming the addiction? The staffer just decided to not do it anymore. An easy decision that is extremely hard to carry out. God used that story to make me realize that it was time for me to stop defining myself by my failures. So, at camp this year, after counseling with someone myself, I decided that my failures were not going to define me anymore. I prayed that God would give me the strength and peace to see my identity in Him from now on. A couple of weeks later I went back to camp, this time with our children and there was a song that we sang that summed it all up for me. The song is "Hello, My Name Is" by Matthew West. I had never heard it before but it was confirmation to me from God.

I know this post is a few months late but on the other side I hope you know that it is not just camp emotionalism. God changed my life this summer by freeing me from the burden of my failures and allowing me to rest in the fact that no matter what, I am His child.