By: Jessica Stone
CAMP 2013: My Experience
3 Things the Lord
taught me at CAMP
So many moments
from CAMP 2013 will be embedded on my heart for years to come. There are three particular lessons
and/or reminders that the Lord clearly impressed upon my heart though.
1. Things happen in His timing.
Not only is this true in my personal life,
but God showed me so clearly that this is true in my professional life as
well. So many life happenings that
have occurred in my life did not occur on my timeline. Actually, very few things in my life
have gone according to my timing. Go figure! But, most recently, this whole developing relationship and
moving to a new state situation really was not in my plans; however, I’ve been
so blessed by it. Professionally,
I got to see God do some things that really didn’t happen when I wanted them
to. Thursday before dinner, I’d
been sharing with a couple of lovely ladies that I was so saddened to leave
rbcstudents, partially because goodbyes are tough in general, but mostly
because I’d been hoping to see some restoration and growth, and quite frankly,
it just hadn’t happened yet, at least not like I thought that it should. Little did I know that some MAJOR
restoration would take place in just a few hours… During worship that night, the Lord brought me to the point
of surrender with Him, showing me clearly that whatever happens in rbcstudents
has got to happen solely because of Him and NOT because of me. He is so gracious to deal with me on those
things, those heart matters. And
so at that point of surrender and that point of heart abandoned to Him and His
timing, the Lord so graciously allowed me to see friendships reconciled and
relationships restored! Praise Him
for those changes!
2. This next phase of life is going to be
tough, but worth it.
I’ve said it before and I will say it
again: tough isn’t bad, tough is
just tough. Some of the most
growth-producing times in my life have been the toughest times, the seasons
that I really could not physically endure on my own. And I cherish those times more than words can say. It’s in the tough times that I’m forced
to realize my own helplessness and rely fully on His strength, provision, and
hope. If I don’t go through those
tough times, I will never learn to fully rely on Him, and I will also miss the
blessing of seeing His grace and provision along the way. Also, tough doesn’t mean wrong. Just because I face challenges and
trials doesn’t mean I’ve done something wrong. In fact, more often than not, it’s when I’m walking the
closest with the Lord that I find myself facing more obstacles. It’s when I’m following Him that my
flesh—and the flesh of some around me—tends to be resistant and tension
ensues. All of these elements of
tough were reestablished in my heart this week at CAMP. And the absolute best part of tough
stuff is next in my list of lessons learned at CAMP…
3. I am His daughter. Period. End of story.
No matter what.
As I’m staring down the barrel of a ton of
change, my mind has really struggled to fill in the gaps, the missing pieces of
what my new life will look like.
Where will I go to church?
Who will be my friends?
What will my daily life be like?
Who will I fit in with? The
answers to these questions may be tough to find or tough to accept. But, I know that I don’t have to handle
any of the tough stuff on my own!
The most beautiful blessing I’ve received in my life is the gift of
salvation. Thankfully and humbly,
the Lord reminded me of that so sweetly this week at CAMP. Regardless of where I go, what I do, or
who I’m close to or far from, my identity never changes: I am His daughter. My Father never ceases to be my
Father. He will always call me
His. I will always belong to and
with Him. That is so comforting to
know at any point, but especially in the face of so much unknown. Even in the midst of the unknown, I am
known by my Father. And that’s
pretty cool.
I’m sure as I
continue to reflect on and process all that God did in CAMP 2013, I’ll realize
I’ve left out something valuable.
But, for now, this is my reflection, my take away, my application. This is my CAMP 2013 experience.
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