Training camp. We had all heard the rumors of how hard it would be…the murmurings of things we’d endure.
“Did you hear they take your pack for 2 days, and you have to survive without your stuff?”
“I heard there’s a timed hike with all of your gear, and if you don’t make it you have to do it again.”
“Bucket showers.” Nuff said.
Some things were exaggerated. Most were true. Although no one (and I mean no one) let on for a second that there would be no coffee.
I will hike for you in 100 degrees. I will sleep outside in the rain. But please…oh please Jesus. Don’t take the coffee.
They took the coffee.
Here are some highlights from camp:
Squad Wars – O Squad (aka the Wolf Pack) is my squad. We won!!
Some of the amazing gals in the Wolf Pack!
Team P.O.W.E.R. – My little family on the WR!
3 miles in 50 minutes with our packs…Everyone made it!
Since we were actually camping during training camp (shocker, right?!), a sleeping pad was a must. My friend let me borrow hers, and the first few nights I slept like a dream. That sleeping pad was like a cloud. Coupled with my eye mask and plush blobfish, sleeping was easy. Ahh sweet bliss.
Blobbers – my tentmate
By the 6th night though, the awful and unthinkable happened. On a one-night excursion with the squad, my dreamy cloud of a sleeping pad failed me!! All the air leaked out within minutes of laying down. WHAT?! No! Must be the valves. I pumped it up again, but within minutes it was flat. My formula for perfect sleep was shattered. Jesus, please no! How will I make it through 4 more nights like this?
I was bummed, but isn’t this what I was preparing for? Unexpected circumstances, setbacks and challenges. Isn’t this the kind of thing that’s going to happen all the time on the Race?
The next day, tired as I was from a sleepless night, I found myself reading Psalms 3 and 4. Both had verses about sleep. In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe (4:8). I lay down and slept, yet I woke up in safety, for the LORD was watching over me (3:5).
He gave David sleep in much worse circumstances than mine. Could he do that for me, too? I had to trust in him over a sleeping pad.
That night I prayed for good sleep. I woke up the following morning, and people were talking about a storm that had come through. Apparently it was really loud…lots of wind, rain and thunder. I had no idea. I didn’t wake up once. Jesus, you give good and undeserved gifts.
It’s funny how quickly you can adjust to a new normal (especially when there is no other option). On night 6, it felt like a flat sleeping pad was the worst thing that could happen. By night 8, it was no big deal. It’s a struggle not to trust in our things, especially on a trip like this. (Just think of the hundreds of dollars worth of gear we will be lugging around for the next 11 months). That gear will only get us so far, and there may or may not be points along the way when it gets lost, damaged or stolen.
One of the biggest lessons I’m taking from training camp is that my trust has to be in the One who is outside of my things and circumstances. All of the gear I pack may be helpful and great, but I will not make it through the year by relying on those things alone. I fully believe that Jesus will continue challenging my trust in him and whether or not I am putting him above everything else.
Let me challenge you to think about that this week, too. What do you feel like you can’t do without? What is your “sleeping pad” and what would happen if it went flat? I’m reminded that the Lord can and wants to provide for us when we are lacking, so present your needs to him, and trust him to come through, even when whatever (or whomever) we are depending on fails us.
I can’t even fathom the ways I’ll have to put this mentality into practice on the field in just a few weeks. Come Lord Jesus Come! Help us trust you more!
