So I just got back from training camp and A LOT went down. So much happened. Good, bad, scary, fun, intense, silly, etc. But important lessons were learned. So here’s just a few…
Did you know that there are places in the world where Christians are persecuted for their beliefs???
Here in America persecution is a relative term. We either think religious persecution doesn’t exist, or we believe that the awkward look from our co-worker is persecution. I know I’ve been guilty of this. I have certainly complained that I was persecuted when my friends teased me or got angry that I wasn’t going out. But at camp we did a Closed Country Simulation that brought persecution into a new perspective. I won’t give all the details, partly because I told Jimmy (the director) I wouldn’t and partly because it’s really too much to divulge, but I will say that it involved the staff/police literally chasing us in the dark. Literally. At first, I was like, this is a game, whatever. And then it got real. At one point, I was running in the dark with my fellow racer, Caleb, holding on to him for dear life as he told me to just keep running. And I saw police coming at me from every angle, screaming that I was arrested. I fell and got up. I slid down some rocks and got up. And in that moment, it was no longer a game. I started sobbing and basically, freaking out. At this point, the staff stepped in and reminded me that it was just a game, but the experience had already hit me and hit me hard. The reality is that I could (and did) opt out, but there are people all over the world where opting out isn’t an option. People who do get arrested and tortured for their belief in the Gospel. Whose families are killed and don’t come back for the next round. So think about them the next time your co-worker gives you a funny look.
Did you know that I’m God’s favorite??? (But so are YOU!)
One of the things I really struggled with was this feeling of unworthiness all through camp. I flip flopped between “Yeah, of course I belong here” and “There is no way I fit in with these incredible people. What are you thinking, God?” But by the end of camp, I got it. Even though I have crazy frizzy hair and even though I have some skeletons in my closet and even though I make a mess of things more often than I get them right, God loves me. He delights in me. He is jealous for me. And He says I’m beautiful and that I’m worthy and capable of all He asks. The best part is…He says the same of you! How cool is that?
Did you know that “normal” isn’t normal???
Ultimately, the big thing I learned in camp was that I’m not normal. And I don’t want to be. Normal is just another way of saying average. And when you’re a child of the Creator of the Universe (which I am, and bt-dubs so are you), average doesn’t cut it. Because we weren’t made to be average; we were made to be extraordinary. When I accepted Christ into my life, I died and He came to dwell in me. Those aren’t just words; they’re fact. The power of the Living God is IN ME! That means something! That means that I have the power to heal the sick, to comfort the widows and orphans, to raise the dead!!! I am not just little, timid Sarah, I am a fire-breathing, Kingdom bringing, kicking-butt-and-taking-names warrior for my God and King!!!!
So now the question is…do you want to be a warrior???
