The first night home after training camp I watched Wall-E in an effort to not go to bed at 6 pm. (I didn’t want to wake up at 4 am!) Let me tell you what happened in those 90 minutes.
My heart and mind are still processing everything training camp. I ask God to make His truth clear for understanding and embed it in my deepest parts. Then I listen as I watch the cute robot movie.
By the end of the movie I knew 6 things clearly:
1. It sucks to be alone.
2. Real love ruins lives.
3. Everyone will have to be carried some time.
4. Dancing is good.
5. There is a time to wait & a time to work.
6. Ignorance is a choice.
Let me break down what I mean by each of those and let you know how they relate to Jesus.
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3. Everyone will have to be carried some time.
This is one of the dividing lines of good community: can you carry those who need it? Can you accept the help when you’re in need?
B Squad does this. Love you! I’m going to give you one example where I got to help and one where I needed help.
My sweet friend Mary came to training camp in a boot cast. There were things she couldn’t do because of it. She never used it as an excuse to not do work.
One thing she couldn’t do was run. One day we had to run to our campsite in a certain amount of time. So our group took turns carrying her down the hill.
She loved us & showed us good community that day. She never complained or demanded her own way. She sacrificed her pride and let us help her in her need.
I’m so proud of her endurance that day. It spoke volumes to me about how to give as you receive and how to receive graciously. (She also totally rocked the sit ups & push ups!)
During the end of the fitness hike, I was really struggling to find the motivation to finish strong. I had figured out that I probably wasn’t going to make the time limit. I was really just wanting to quit.
Right about then the guys on my squad came back to encourage those who were still trying to finish the hike. They all gave me great affirmation as they went by. Mike stuck with me to the end.
He took my pack off my back and carried it to the end. It blew my mind. It also disoriented my body. That much weight change made me start to walk off the road.
Such deep affirmation and encouragement gave me the ability to keep going. I was even convinced to try running the last bit. I didn’t make the time but I was surrounded by deep, good community in a whole new way.
Both when I got to carry another, whether physically or spiritually, and when I was carried taught me more about Jesus and what the church should be.
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4. Dancing is good.
First off, this should be obvious. It’s exercise and fun. But there’s a deeper level here, too.
You can never dance fully and deeply without freedom. True freedom in Christ allows and prompts a response. Sometimes this response is physical.
I could dance more than normal at training camp because I was finally walking in freedom. I was also free to be just myself, mistakes, awkwardness, brokenness and all.
I hope you all get to dance in freedom one day.
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part 3 coming soon
