Fourteenth on the List (Be Like Kids Part 3)

Kamp is over. I’m home. And I got the flu. Awesome. But, I am thankful and content.

One of the big teaching philosophies at Kamp is the principle, “I’m Third.” Basically, you put God first, others second, and yourself third. It’s an easy way to teach kids the concept of serving. But, as a councilor, you can’t be third. You’re fourteenth. You have 12 kids and co-counselor to put before yourself. Constantly serving. Constantly cleaning spilled kool-aid. Changing wet bed sheets at 2:30am. Serving meals. Scrubbing toilets. Wiping down tables. And dealing with the wheel of torture. Not to mention other counselor responsibilities like writing post cards, birthday cards, and parent postcards. Then writing up character quality sheets for each kid. And you have to do all of this before you can stop and think about yourself.

So, for 13 days, you are giving all of yourself to the 12 kids in your barn. Constantly pouring yourself out. Working your fingers to the bone. And sometimes, kids just leave and don’t even say bye. What?! I just gave my everything for you for thirteen days and you walk out of here and don’t even say thank you. Don’t even say bye. Don’t even a wave. Nothing. And they’re gone.

You walk away asking yourself why you even did it. What’s the point if they aren’t even going to acknowledge your hard work? Where are my accolades? My pat on the back? My recognition? Sometimes it never comes. And honestly, it’s frustrating. For a while anyway. Until a little realization dawns and you start to see a bigger picture.

I was running in the beautiful Ozark mountains while I was there and a thought crossed my mind. Most of the summer had been stress free, except for the times when I was worried about myself. I realized very rarely during the last few weeks had I been worried or concerned. And it’s because I was constantly serving. Constantly giving.

Think about it. When do most people stress? In my world of college and all such related things, people stress at test times, when a relationship is having problems or when there is no money to be had. We hear things like, “I’m going to fail.” “I didn’t study hard enough.” “She won’t call me back.” “I don’t know how I’m going to pay for these things.” “I…”"I….”"I…”

We see a common theme. I’m not saying it’s wrong to worry or even have stress. But, to feel stress because we are being selfish is unproductive and all together sideways. However, if we’re serving and giving and pouring ourselves out, worry and stress look different. And it isn’t about how many pats on the back we get or how many standing applauses we receive.

We serve for the joy of serving. We give because we love to give out of the overflow of a forgiven heart. We work and suffer and bleed generously not for anything in return. But because Jesus gave first and something inside of us is longing to be like him. We are generous with our time and our money and our resources and our service. The reality is, they aren’t even our things in the first place.

So, let’s give extravagantly. Because there is joy in the act of giving not in receiving in return.

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross…

Smile. Laugh. Love.

-kounselorjon

P.s. This is George. He gave me the flu. My favorite kid all summer.

Chairs are Meant for Sitting. (Be Like Kids part 2)

When you sit down in a chair, you are making a statement. You are telling everyone you trust when you sit in the chair, it will hold you up and will keep you from experiencing a painful, and potentially embarrassing, fall to the floor. Whether you realize it or not, you are making a proclamation of trust.

Each time we get a new group of kiddos at kamp, we stand outside on the blacktop while each kid is introduced individually in front of their peers and the whole staff. They walk them up on the stage and stand them on the top step of the podium and for a few minutes, they have everyone’s attention. While they stand up there, all of us counselors go nuts, screaming and yelling, and “pleading” for them to come to our barn. It’s pretty special for the kids.

Well, day one the Lord starting teaching me. And it happened at this little introductory, gala event. When they introduced Ryan Lynn, he was the smallest kamper I had been given so far. He later told me he was born way premature and that was the reason for his small stature. When they introduced Ryan and told him he would be in my barn, I ran to the bottom of the slide to wait for him and take him to the room. Ryan eagerly hopped on and made the less than five foot thrill ride to the bottom. But when his feet hit the bottom, he decided to use them for jumping and not for walking. He jumped straight into my arms.

Ryan made a profound statement in that moment. He trusted me. Even though he didn’t know me, he trusted. He knew I would catch him and knew I would hold him up.

Every term I have been reading the story of David and Goliath to my kids. And every time I learn something different. It speaks of courage, trust, power, honor, and love. When David first approached the King, Saul gave him his own armor and told him to go fight in it. But, it was too much for David. Too big. Too clunky. Too foreign. Too external. Instead, David went to the stream, laying claim to things he knew and trusted, five smooth stones. His reason being he had killed lions and bears and other beasts of the field and the Lord had always provided him strength and made his sling aim true. Why go anywhere else or trust in anything other than what the Lord had always provided David with? Who was Goliath anyway? Another beast of the field?

I think when David put on that armor, we catch a glimpse of something else. Why did David even go to Saul in the first place? Why not just go and kill the beast and get it over with? Why even hesitate? Did David need validation from somewhere or something? Was he scared? When David put on the armor, he is showing all of us his doubt and his fear. Did he speak to soon? Could he really kill the beast? So, he trusted in something other than what the Lord had blessed him with. He trusted in external armor belonging to someone else. And he realized it would never do. So, in his fear, he went back to the things he knew and found comfort and power in the Lord’s tools, which happened to be five smooth stones.

So, David went after the enemy speaking defiance to anyone who would challenge his God. The bible makes a point of telling us Goliath cursed David but David responded, simply saying, “How dare you stand against my God?” He closes his monologue (every great hero has one) to Goliath by saying the battle was already the Lord’s.

This story screams of multiple lessons to be learned. But, today, the lesson in trust. David trusted in what he knew. Five smooth stones. He trusted in the Lord to give him power. He knew the Lord had already decided the outcome of the battle. David had no idea if he would live or die, but he knew he must fight, must take a stand. So he did. With five smooth stones, he trusted in the Lord.

Just like David who is Just like Ryan, we must trust. We must stand on something, leaving the rest up to the Lord. We don’t learn how to trust by sitting in one place. We learn how to trust by jumping or running to meet an enemy who the bible calls a “champion.” Let’s pick five smooth stones and get after it. The battle is already the Lord’s, right?

When Ryan jumped, he made a statement. When you sit in a chair, you make a statement.

Why is it easier to trust a chair then a God who went to the cross for us? Besides, a chair has never been known to say, “I love you.”

Sit. Stand. Jump. Trust.

-kounselorjon