As I was working at Shepherd’s Hill Farm this weekend the Lord spoke to my heart so intimately and gave me an awesome opportunity to share His truth with the girls that I work with. I have been praying that He will show me how to get them more involved with the Word and to make it real to them, and He answered that prayer in such an incredible way. He led me to step out and lead them and I am still so amazed at how He led. All weekend the other counselor that I was working with had been sharing her heart about how God had brought her through some of her own struggles in her walk and she encouraged the girls to not stop and wallow when they trip and fall down, but to cry out to God for His help and grace to keep going. On Sunday night we were on our way to the campsite and I had each girl pick up a rock that was close to the size of their hand. We carried our rocks down to the campsite and the Lord led me to have each of them write on the bottom of their rock the sin that tends to continually “trip them up” in their walk with God. Then we stood around in a circle and I took a rock from one of the girls. Without reading what she had written on it I said “you have just been caught in the act of what you wrote down on that rock, and according to the rules at Shepherd’s Hill Farm, you are going to be punished for it. Can you share how you feel about that?” She expressed feeling judged and upset, and then I had all of the girls pretend to be angry at her and hold up their rocks. Then I said “your punishment is going to be that we all get to throw our rocks at you.” With all the girls holding up their rocks I said, “Freeze right there and look around. What are we about to throw at her?” It was like I saw light bulbs go off in their heads all around the circle – “we are throwing our own sin at her, Miss Laura!” I shared with them the story of Jesus forgiving the woman caught in adultery, and the rebuke that He gave the Pharisees for not being able to see past their own sin.
God opened the door for me to encourage them to come alongside each other and to help each other through struggles with love and forgiveness, and not to eagerly point fingers or “throw rocks” when they see each other fall.
Then, the Lord led me one step further – we scratched off the struggles that we had written on the bottom of the rocks, and we wrote instead a victory on the top of the rock; something that we wanted to praise God for in our lives. Then we took them outside the cabin and down to the creek that runs by the campsite, and there we set up a “pillar of remembrance” so that every time we come to the campsite we will see it and be reminded to praise God for the victories that God has given us in our lives.
Even as I was leading the girls through the devo, I was so convicted and moved. Our God is so forgiving! He has brought me through so much and forgiven me so many stumblings. I pray that I will learn to build “pillars of remembrance” in my spiritual walk with the Lord, and focus on praising Him for the victories instead of always focusing on my stumbling or being quick to throw stones of judgment at others. My God is so intimate – I am still so amazed at how He tenderly touched my heart and spoke to me even as He used me to lead others. I desire that my life may be a pillar of praise to Him forever.
