I know what you’re thinking “How can suffering be joyful?” So let me explain. My Dad gave me some advice when I was younger that has helped me through all of my struggles. First off let me give you some facts.
So, the light rings in this tree is the tree’s growth during the spring and summer. It is easy for the tree to grow at this time so, the tree grows very rapidly.
The dark rings in this tree is the tree’s growth in the fall and winter. At this time it is extremely hard for the tree to grow. There is still growth at this time but not as much this is why the dark rings are so much smaller than the lighter rings.
Now that you know what the rings mean I can turn this spiritual. The light rings represents the times in your life when everything is perfect and it is easy to call yourself a christian. The times when you feel the closest to God, but the dark rings represent the times in your life when nothing seems to go your way like when the house note is late, when worldly matters have taken your mind over.
Just one more fact. The light rings even though the bigger ring is the weaker of the two. If you go to a lumber yard looking for a 2×4 and pick a board that has very little winter growth that board will be bowed and weak. On the other hand if you get a board that has a lot of winter growth this will be your strait and narrow board. This will be your strong usefull board.
Through your hardships you are becoming stronger in your walk with God. You may feel like you are all alone. You look back and see only one set of footprints in the sand. Just know that those footprints are not yours they are god carrying you through the struggle.
In training camp I personally struggled a ton. From when I arrived my self confidence plummeted. I didn’t talk very much because I was scared that no one would like me. God revealed some things in my past that I didn’t even know had affected me. The main thing I struggled with during training camp was calming my mind. Whether it was something like, “I wonder if they think I’m a good christian”, or “why is there a curtain over the door.” I kept trying to remind myself Psalm 46:10 “Be still and know that I am God.”, but it never worked. My mind would wander off in space. We as a squad went around learning about different types of pathways to God. The one that helped me out the most was the “Contemplative Pathway”. They had us get comfortable and close our eyes. Then, we were told to focus on our breathing, not to change it but just to only focus on that one thing. Next, they told us to say “I love you” when we inhaled and to say “I love you” as we exhale. This was us taking in God’s love for us and then pouring it out to the world. This calmed my mind and was the first time that i had been able to in a really long time.
My team helped me out a lot throughout those ten days. To start off the first person on my squad that I met and stayed the night at his house was Andrew Lilly who just so happened to be on my team. Then there was my fellow Texan Joe Lindsey who shared the same love of basketball as me. Hunter Miller was the last guy on my team that I met but he is the person that keeps me on the straight and narrow just by listening and helping me stay in the word. The girls instantly felt like the little sisters I never had. Colby Tibbetts was the childlike spirit that I strive for. Kelly Loughran was the extreme extrovert that always kept you laughing. Kyla Calderon was also a fellow Texan that set an example on how to worship and give it all to God. Last but not least Alyssa McGrail was the calm collective one that always kept us on topic when would stray into some random conversation about disney princesses. I wouldn’t have been able to make it through those ten days without them I can’t wait to spend the next nine months doing life in other countries with them. All in all you could easily say that training camp was the hardest ten days of my life but the best ten days as well. LOVE my new big happy family even when tensions were high because of a dance competition in squad wars. 😉
