"Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him." -Psalm 34:8
It is so easy in ministry to lose sight of the beautiful things, of which are innumerable. I'm not saying that this is only in ministry, for it certainly is not. Often times people might lose focus on why they once loved their job or life, as the mundane seems to have taken over everything. However, I do contend that in ministry there are more things to appreciate, more beauty in things. Ministry is meant to point to the Creator and Maker of all things, the Giver of every good and perfect gift. How could we run out of things to be thankful for?
The answer for this is simple: "For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." Paul sums up the sin of mankind in this incredibly simple statement. All have sinned. All have fallen short. We are a broken people. We are. You need not look very hard to see that we are. Even those of us who are in ministry, who are "in the trenches" so to speak. We are just as broken as the man cheating on his wife, or the women looking for love in material things or physical relationships. Any man would be foolish to say otherwise. But praise be to God that He stepped in and changed all that. He has decided to make me His, to take my sins from me as far as the east is from the west. He has redeemed me and made me new, the old is gone and the new has come! Amen!
And yet. Sin is still here, all around us. What God has done in my life, He may have yet to do in another. And even as He has redeemed me, I am still in need of His everlasting Grace daily. I am still a broken, sinful vessel. I am a jar of clay, holding this incredible treasure of His extraordinary power. I, therefore, can lose sight of what He has done for me, to me, with me. God, however, does not give up on me. He has not, and He will not! And in that reminder, He has given me a reminder of sorts to "stop and smell the roses" so to speak.
More so than any place I have ever worked, or ministry I have ever been a part of, this concept of losing sight of the beautiful was never more obvious than it was with my time at camp. I spent 15 incredible, wonderful, awe-inspiring months at Crista Camps in Kitsap County working at both Island Lake (Silverdale, WA) and Miracle Ranch (Port Orchard, WA). I was the Program Coordinator (glorified games director) for both summers of 2011 and 2012, and spent the time in between as a Program Intern amidst and incredible, talented internship program. We essentially were the cogs that kept camp going. We did everything from helping groups with their own stuff, working meals, running activities like ropes course or motocross, and even cleaning all of camp (which we did at least once a week!). We always had meetings on Wednesdays, and worked together to push camp forward.
Needless to say, it was very easy to get caught in the routine of things. It was easy to lose sight of the bigger picture of what we were doing. We struggled to see the promise land through the thick of the wilderness. And never was it more apparent that I had lost my ability to see the beautiful than in the month of February. It was by far the hardest month of the entire internship, I think for all of us. It was busy, and we were just comfortable enough with each other to get on one another's nerves...a lot. It all accumulated to one night after a long day of hard cleaning. It was clear that everyone was just bitter and frustrated, and I found myself both in that group, as well as having a heavy heart because of it. That night, myself and two wonderful friends prayed for nearly 50 minutes, all three of us in tears by the end of it. I literally could only pray out loud for one sentence, but it was one of the most intense times of prayer I have ever been a part of. I heard God speak to me in that time, and tell me to never lose sight of what was beautiful.
And so began an intentional goal to take time, at least once a week, to look through the branches. At Island Lake, where I spent the majority of my time from then on (it was a fairly even split before that) has an outside amphitheater of sorts, where the teaching and worship services are held for camp as well as guest groups that come. It is called Fireside, and holds an incredible amount of memories of redemption and healing. It is also almost entirely covered by a canopy of tall trees, firs and the like. I would go down, lay down on one of the benches, and just look through the branches. In the summer, it was especially beautiful to see the sunlight breaking through them in beams left and right. Camp had become more than just a home, and I was so comfortable and used to it that I had become numb to how incredibly beautiful of a place it truly was, both physically and spiritually.
In the past couple of weeks, I have found myself in India losing sight of the beautiful. I have been apart of a lot less ministry here than I have in the past, and taken on a more host-like role for the teams that have been coming. This has been bittersweet for me. I have enjoyed it because it has allowed me to get to know people in some cool ways, and to be able to serve them as they are here. It has, however, stunted my opportunities to go out and preach/teach, which is where my heart is, and the reason I came. Not the only reason, no, but it was what I came to do. And in that, I allowed myself to lose heart; and sight of the beautiful. But I am not going to allow such a foothold for any lies to come in. Not anymore! I am convinced that my God is bigger than my petty problems and self-pity, and has great and unimaginable good for me! I have decided to look through the branches once again.
Thank You, God, for reminding me of Your goodness. Thank You, God, that You never give up on me, that Your love never fails. I pray that I would not lose hope of why You have me here, nor will I grumble in times of thick wilderness. Instead, Lord God, let me look through the branches at Your immeasurable beauty, and take hold of all that You have for me! Let me walk by faith, Lord God, needing not to see anything but Your hand as You guide me. Thank You for Your promises, God. For Your faithfulness and mercy. You are so good. I love You and thank You in Your Son's holy and precious Name, Amen!
It is so easy in ministry to lose sight of the beautiful things, of which are innumerable. I'm not saying that this is only in ministry, for it certainly is not. Often times people might lose focus on why they once loved their job or life, as the mundane seems to have taken over everything. However, I do contend that in ministry there are more things to appreciate, more beauty in things. Ministry is meant to point to the Creator and Maker of all things, the Giver of every good and perfect gift. How could we run out of things to be thankful for?
The answer for this is simple: "For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." Paul sums up the sin of mankind in this incredibly simple statement. All have sinned. All have fallen short. We are a broken people. We are. You need not look very hard to see that we are. Even those of us who are in ministry, who are "in the trenches" so to speak. We are just as broken as the man cheating on his wife, or the women looking for love in material things or physical relationships. Any man would be foolish to say otherwise. But praise be to God that He stepped in and changed all that. He has decided to make me His, to take my sins from me as far as the east is from the west. He has redeemed me and made me new, the old is gone and the new has come! Amen!
And yet. Sin is still here, all around us. What God has done in my life, He may have yet to do in another. And even as He has redeemed me, I am still in need of His everlasting Grace daily. I am still a broken, sinful vessel. I am a jar of clay, holding this incredible treasure of His extraordinary power. I, therefore, can lose sight of what He has done for me, to me, with me. God, however, does not give up on me. He has not, and He will not! And in that reminder, He has given me a reminder of sorts to "stop and smell the roses" so to speak.
More so than any place I have ever worked, or ministry I have ever been a part of, this concept of losing sight of the beautiful was never more obvious than it was with my time at camp. I spent 15 incredible, wonderful, awe-inspiring months at Crista Camps in Kitsap County working at both Island Lake (Silverdale, WA) and Miracle Ranch (Port Orchard, WA). I was the Program Coordinator (glorified games director) for both summers of 2011 and 2012, and spent the time in between as a Program Intern amidst and incredible, talented internship program. We essentially were the cogs that kept camp going. We did everything from helping groups with their own stuff, working meals, running activities like ropes course or motocross, and even cleaning all of camp (which we did at least once a week!). We always had meetings on Wednesdays, and worked together to push camp forward.
Needless to say, it was very easy to get caught in the routine of things. It was easy to lose sight of the bigger picture of what we were doing. We struggled to see the promise land through the thick of the wilderness. And never was it more apparent that I had lost my ability to see the beautiful than in the month of February. It was by far the hardest month of the entire internship, I think for all of us. It was busy, and we were just comfortable enough with each other to get on one another's nerves...a lot. It all accumulated to one night after a long day of hard cleaning. It was clear that everyone was just bitter and frustrated, and I found myself both in that group, as well as having a heavy heart because of it. That night, myself and two wonderful friends prayed for nearly 50 minutes, all three of us in tears by the end of it. I literally could only pray out loud for one sentence, but it was one of the most intense times of prayer I have ever been a part of. I heard God speak to me in that time, and tell me to never lose sight of what was beautiful.
And so began an intentional goal to take time, at least once a week, to look through the branches. At Island Lake, where I spent the majority of my time from then on (it was a fairly even split before that) has an outside amphitheater of sorts, where the teaching and worship services are held for camp as well as guest groups that come. It is called Fireside, and holds an incredible amount of memories of redemption and healing. It is also almost entirely covered by a canopy of tall trees, firs and the like. I would go down, lay down on one of the benches, and just look through the branches. In the summer, it was especially beautiful to see the sunlight breaking through them in beams left and right. Camp had become more than just a home, and I was so comfortable and used to it that I had become numb to how incredibly beautiful of a place it truly was, both physically and spiritually.
In the past couple of weeks, I have found myself in India losing sight of the beautiful. I have been apart of a lot less ministry here than I have in the past, and taken on a more host-like role for the teams that have been coming. This has been bittersweet for me. I have enjoyed it because it has allowed me to get to know people in some cool ways, and to be able to serve them as they are here. It has, however, stunted my opportunities to go out and preach/teach, which is where my heart is, and the reason I came. Not the only reason, no, but it was what I came to do. And in that, I allowed myself to lose heart; and sight of the beautiful. But I am not going to allow such a foothold for any lies to come in. Not anymore! I am convinced that my God is bigger than my petty problems and self-pity, and has great and unimaginable good for me! I have decided to look through the branches once again.
Thank You, God, for reminding me of Your goodness. Thank You, God, that You never give up on me, that Your love never fails. I pray that I would not lose hope of why You have me here, nor will I grumble in times of thick wilderness. Instead, Lord God, let me look through the branches at Your immeasurable beauty, and take hold of all that You have for me! Let me walk by faith, Lord God, needing not to see anything but Your hand as You guide me. Thank You for Your promises, God. For Your faithfulness and mercy. You are so good. I love You and thank You in Your Son's holy and precious Name, Amen!
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