Crazy. Exhausted. Joyful. Excited. Fulfilled. Hopeful. Loved. Overwhelmed. A whirlwind of emotions and thoughts have been bombarding me recently.
Last week, I was a camp counselor for middle school and high school students. It was absolutely amazing!
Leading up to camp, I prayed a lot about the campers and staff. I desired for God to reveal Himself in a huge way. And he sure did.
As the week progressed, God absolutely blew my mind. The way he used our speaker, Travis, to speak to these campers was incredible. Even the first night, there was vulnerability within our cabin, and girls were speaking life and truth into each other. It was so beautiful.
The last night, Travis stressed the importance of being obedient to God long after the feelings and emotions of camp faded away. The youth pastor, Dave, came up and invited those who wanted to make their relationships with the Lord publicly known to be baptized on Sunday. There were already 8 baptisms planned.
I sat in my chair praying for boldness for those students. I remember thinking that it would be amazing if 15 to 20 people were moved to make this commitment. How many ended up wanting to be baptized? 38 students and staff! CRAZY.
Our pastor ended up needing to postpone his sermon to make room for all the baptisms. On Sunday morning, they also decided to invite people from the congregation to partake if they felt the Holy Spirit moving. In total, about 60 people were baptized at my church last Sunday!
Seeing God move in such crazy ways this week made me realize how small my prayers usually are. Sure, I mustered up enough faith to surround camp in big prayers, because I had so much anticipation about it. In everyday life, I rarely invite God to do big things, and why not? I serve a God who can and will move in huge ways. God doesn’t require a camp, conference, or mission trip to do something amazing.
When I’m on my way to the grocery store, why am I not asking God to use me to encourage someone? Throughout the week, why am I not pleading for God to do big things at church on Sunday? In my everyday life, why am I not continually asking that God would change lives?
After a great week at camp, I feel encouraged to invite God to move in huge ways all the time, and not just when it seems convenient.
