Wow oh wow, life has been crazy lately.
Last week my summer job ended. I worked as day camp counsellor for the YMCA. It was wild. Some days my feet hurt so bad I thought they might fall off and decide to not come back. Other days were so blissful I never wanted to leave. Good days and bad days aside I have about seven billion ridiculous and hilarious stories of things kids did and said. I have one in particular I want to share.
Buckle up, we are taking a wild ride back to elementary school. The two square, the cheese touch, and the loose teeth. This summer I was told and shown at least five times a day about a loose tooth. “teacher LOOK my tooth it’s coming out!!!!” The declaration was quickly followed by them wiggling the tooth to prove a point. And if I dared to be busy with something or someone else and heaven forbid NOT ooohhh and aahhh all over the loose tooth their feelings were hurt. So, I quickly learned I needed to celebrate EVERY SINGLE wiggly tooth.
My favorite loose tooth story took place over an ENTIRE day. The most precious little girl came to camp with a loose tooth. She sat her lunch box down and quickly ran to her friends giggling. She showed them her tooth, they ALL grinned from ear to ear. During every ounce of free time, the loose tooth camper garnered support from her friends and began pulling. Her friends would run to get her paper towels, give her tips, and cheer her on.
Isn’t marvelous how little ones love growth so much? For teeth to be loose another one must be forcing it out. And kids CELEBRATE that like no other. They understand the beauty of growth. They embrace the pain and the blood to reveal the growth.
My eager camper’s mindset reminds me of Paul’s words, “17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:The old has gone, the new is here!” When we come to know Christ He makes us new. He peels back layers, forces out immaturity, and reveals us as more radiant. But, it hurts. It isn’t always fun to have God rid things like comfort, pride, jealousy, bitterness from your life. Which is why we need community. We need brothers and sisters in Christ to cheer us on, pray for us, and help us through the pain growth can bring.
I think we can all take a note from my eager camper’s book. Embrace growth. Tell the world about the old stuff that is being forced out. And do it with joy knowing something better will be revealed.
