Beyond My Ability

The Lord is so faithful to use us in ways that go far beyond our own abilities.  Working on staff at CCC for my second summer was a beautiful depiction of this truth.  Throughout the whole summer I witnessed God empowering His children to be a part of building His Kingdom here on Earth.  I saw Him use my staff, our campers, and myself to meet the needs of people.  Sometimes they were physical needs, sometimes material needs, but most of all they were the spiritual and emotional needs being met by a loving and gracious Savior.

The theme of our worships at camp was “Is Christ real to you?”  This question comes from John Wesley’s Holy Club – a group of brothers in Christ who would meet together for a time of fellowship and devotion.  As a part of their meetings, they had a set of 22 questions, with the final one being “Is Christ real to me?”  I like to think of making the question, is Christ real to me, and is that evident in the way that I live my life?  This question had been on my heart going into this summer and in worship planning it became our week’s theme.  Each night at worship, we would substitute Christ in the question for an attribute of Christ.  We started with acceptance, then hope, trust, grace, joy, and finally Christ.  Each of the five words leading up to the question of is Christ real to me seems so simple.  They are short words that are thrown around, especially in a Christian environment, but these words that have become somewhat pedantic pack so much power and meaning.

Acceptance – in Ephesians, Paul writes that we are a part of God’s holy temple that He is building here on Earth, that we are adopted and chosen children in God’s family.  That is such a precious reality, but is it real to me?  How often do we fall into the pattern of thinking we are too sinful to be worthy of God’s love?  We have to let the truth that Christ unconditionally loves us and accepts us right for exactly who we are, not who we think we need to be.

Or hope and trust – the Bible tells us to put our hope in the Lord because we can trust Him; even when we are faithless He will remain faithful.  And it is so easy to hope and trust in the Lord when life is easy and things are going well.  But is my hope still fully in the Lord when the storms of life hit and things go wrong?  Do I trust Him enough to let loose the reigns of control, knowing that He will protect and sustain me?

Grace – this is such a big one and the foundation of my entire faith.  Because of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, my sins have been washed away and made new; I have been redeemed by His blood and my relationship with God has been restored.  But it can be so hard to let that truth reign in my heart when the world screams at me to be perfect and do more and work just a little bit harder.  But the reality is, God’s love is consistent even in my inconsistency, and it is freely given by my loving Savior.

Joy – it is so easy for me to be happy with my life because I have been blessed beyond belief by an amazing family and support system.  But I don’t want to just have the emotion of happiness based on my current circumstances.  Joy is deeper than that, it is a soul deep state that comes from experiencing the fullness of the Lord!

This summer on staff helped deepen m understanding of what each of these words really mean to me; not just on the surface level, but deep down in my heart.  As I poured myself out to love the community around me Christ lavished me with His love and drew my heart closer to Him.  He loved me through the people around me as He taught me what acceptance, hope, trust, grace, and joy really look like in my life.  I am so thankful for my experiences this summer and how Christ used me as His vessel.  He strengthened me beyond my own ability as I sought to love recklessly, serve with passion, and worship with all that was within me.

Thank you to all of those who have supported me throughout this summer – whether it be financially or the constant prayers; I truly appreciate all of your love and support.  I could not have made it through this summer without you guys!