Sacred Spaces | Camp

When I was in 6th grade I went to camp for the first time. It was the first place that I had seen older kids who had thought the coolest thing you could do was love Jesus, that had sparked a passion in me and it could not be put out. But my sacred place is big. It is big because it can be defined as a pushpin on a map or an atmosphere for God to work in, and because of that camp is a big place. When you think of Camp dozens of words and images pop into your mind. For me it’s images of my favorite dock on the lake, or my best friend and I at church, or singing silly songs at devotions after getting the taste of my camper’s bug spray out of my mouth.

I have been attending, volunteering, and working at Camp for almost 9 years and I believe that God creates and shares his love and forgiveness with us through the communities he gives us.

At Camp, I have found a community that has supported me through the loss of a loved one, through my family’s divorce, and through the occasional tough camper or two. But they have also been there for my college acceptance letters, to see my high school theater productions, my greatest faith encounters, and my longest laughs. They have seen me at my best when I’m happily covered in oatmeal for the 7thweek in a row, and they have seen me at my worst, after staying up late for the fourth night in a row with a high schooler who is going through so much more than they should. God has blessed me with a community that is with me no matter what shape I’m in or how long it’s been since I’ve showered.

The Road to Emmaus story is one of my favorite stories in the Bible because it correlates with my time at camp so well. Verse 15 says, “As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them.” He joined alongside the travelers on their journey and at the time they didn’t know it was Jesus.

Jesus did the same for me.

Jesus joined me in my space at Camp and year after year after year created a community for me to feel his grace, forgiveness and love. But I didn’t know it was him when he came and walked alongside me. He came in the shape of new friends, old friends, troublesome campers, fellow counselors, life-long companions, and needed mentors. He came and met me where I was at, walked along side me, and in doing so gave me the people I didn’t even know I needed in my life.

And all that is beautiful, wonderful and amazing—but do you want to know what the best part of camp is (this might come as a shock to you) but it’s the end. The end is the best part because although it means camp is over for the week, or that summer, and you are potentially saying goodbye to friends for who knows how long it’s still the best part, because it is a reminder and a goal.

It is a reminder that yes, Camp is over but my path does not stop there. We all have a calling to keep going, to reach out to people and meet themwhere they’re at, just like Jesus did for me at Camp and for the travelers on the Road to Emmaus.

It is not the location of Camp that is important, or how many times you are able to go, or the people that are there; Camp is just another way for God to work through people to share his good news of the Gospel and I get to be a part of that.

There is a quote that I keep in my Bible on the page where today’s story is from John Wesley and it says, “When you set yourself on fire, people love to come and see you burn.” It sounds scary and maybe slightly morbid at first but to me it means that people love to see your passion, and like watching a fire they can’t take their eyes off of it. So be passionate about what you’re doing in life and be passionate about sharing in community with those around you because that is the best way that we can meet each other where we are at on our walks with Jesus. Be willing to share as you would if you were sitting around a campfire and trust in the communities that God has placed you in, because that passion could lead to the spark of someone else’s greatest passion.