It's amazing to see how many different ways God works in people's lives especially when you go to any type of Christian retreat. This past weekend at Windy Gap, I saw God in the kids I served. At every meal they were smiling and thankful for the food I brought. A few years ago as a camper, I don't remember being half as appreciative towards the work crew staff as these kids were to me. Secondly, I truly saw the Lord working in me. Signing up for work crew, I knew I would be getting little sleep, but I did not realize that "little" meant practically none. Now if you know me, you know that I need a lot of sleep, otherwise I'm grumpy and easily annoyed. However, solely by the blessings of God, I was not mentally worn down until the ride home, Sunday afternoon. Third and last, I saw God working through all the staff. There was a large group of extremely diverse people there that weekend and we were working tediously in constrained areas. The best thing about it was the lack of complaints and the joy we all found in each other’s company.
On that Saturday morning, I read a verse that really spoke to my heart; Isaiah 7:9b, "...If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all." I think this applies to my life right not because I plan to be a YoungLife leader next year; however, this speaks to all Christians especially those who are in direct leadership roles. We are told to imitate Christ so that others will see his love through us. Unfortunately the world we live in is overrun with sin and we are tempted each and every day, but God offers help. His word. This is where the verse comes in; if we are continually in His word and talking to Him through prayer, we will grow stronger in our faith. In addition, surround yourself with people that will automatically make you grow. These are how you learn to stand firm. If you do not have this background of knowledge and support, you will be unprepared to face the world; you will not stand at all. On the reverse, if you aren't standing, then how could you give support to someone else who has just heard the good news? Being faithfully dependent on God is key to success on this earth.
Coming back to my story, the fact that I witnessed so many God-sightings after reading that verse reinforced to me just how much God was working in the hearts of the people at camp. It also clarified how important it is that I stand firm and bring all my troubles to Him.
You have two choices, either stand firm or don't stand at all. Personally, I'd rather not end up broken on the floor.
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