In ministry, it is easy to become emotionally detached from the heartache that is embedded in so many girls' lives. Not this week. My heart was broken for them, in a way that it has never been broken before. Tears poured down my face on friday because I felt for them in a way that I cannot describe... my spirit groaned with words that cannot be uttered!
My girls this week were desperate for love. No one cared about them at home - their families were either addicted to alcohol or themselves. I spent the entire week, hour after hour, just listening to them talk about their lives, the mundane and the serious.
I was challenged by my own words to them. Do I truly believe that God is enough to satisfy every longing in our souls? Can He truly bring life and peace in the midst of severe trial? As I exhorted them to live for Him, to trust Him to lead and guide their lives, I laughed to myself. How much more do I need to trust Him for the future ahead?!!
After my tears had begun to cease, I went to find my girls and hang out with them. I found one of them in bed, crying over the lostness of girls she had just met that week.What grace God has to give us people to feel with! We talked for an hour, encouraging one other to live for Him - to love those who need Him. As we prayed together, I thanked God with all my heart for her fellowship in the gospel!
It is those moments that make all the trials of camp worth it. The moments when I'm straight up preaching the gospel and the girls can't take their eyes off of me because they are so enraptured with His truth. The times when we talk for hours, pouring His word and encouragement into their lives... even the moments when I'm acting like a maniac and they realize for the first time that being a Christian is a whole lot of fun!
Camp has taught me more than I imagined possible. More than anything, it has taught me that His gospel is the answer to every issue that life brings. His truth is life! So why are we so slack in sharing it?
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