Today’s Post Written By: Rae Lynn DeAngelis
When I was asked to share with a group of students at church camp, I began to reminisce about my own camp experience the summer between my freshman and sophomore year of high school.
My best friend had invited me to join her for a week of church camp brilliantly disguised as “Sailing Camp”. What teenager didn’t want to embark on a perilous journey across the open seas… or a man-made lake in Indiana?
My family grew up boating so I was no stranger to the water, but I was still excited to learn how to glide across the water with only the wind and waves to propel me.
Although I grew up in the church, God was not center stage during my teenage years. I was more concerned about building relationships with friends than Jesus. And yet, something sparked inside my spirit that week of church camp, something I didn’t expect. Jesus became real to me. A deep sense of longing arose to the surface of my heart, a longing that I didn’t even know I had. I learned that Jesus truly cared about me as an individual, and He wanted me to know Him on a personal level.
Ann (a college student who took time away from her own summer break to nurture a group of teens in their relationship with God) had a positive influence over me. She was a great role model, a person of integrity and godly character. She didn’t just share the Gospel, she lived it.
Ann was assigned to our group, and God used this opportunity to lure me in. Ann showed me, through her example, what it looked like to have a personal relationship with Jesus. There’s something alluring about a person who’s in close relationship to God, and I wanted what she had!
As I look back over my life, I can see how God was chasing after me, placing people and circumstances along my life journey, drawing me closer and closer to Him. These pivotal moments in my life remind me of God’s tremendous love and persistence to win us over. He is always trying to get our attention.
I didn’t surrender my entire life over to the Lord that week of church camp, but many seeds were planted. And in time (thankfully God is patient) those seeds took root, matured, and began to bloom. And because of the faithfulness of others, my spiritual life is now bearing fruit.
A guest speaker at our church shared a profound truth. He said, “Anyone can count the number of seeds in an apple, but only God can count the number of apples in a seed.” When I shared my story with the campers, I spent a few minutes offering encouragement to the camp counselors, reminding them of their important role and how they may never fully realize the impact they are making in the Kingdom of God.
“The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.” (1 Corinthians 3:8-9)
Take time to plant and water seeds of faith in those around you. And remember…
“You can never give a person that which you have found. But you can make them homesick for what you have.” ~Oswald Chambers