Leaving The Trading Post

I love camp!

Every summer since around 1st grade I have been either attending a camp or working at a camp. In high school I loved going to camp not only to chase cute lifeguards, hang out with my best friends, but also to experience God in a very powerful way.

When I got to college I found out that I could actually work at a camp all summer as a counselor. All the crazy camp memories started flooding to mind and all the counselors I had that made such an impact on my life in one short week.

This camp that I would be working at was about 100 times bigger than the one I had come from. Every day we had a schedule full of awesome activities, like zip-lining, the waterslide, and rock climbing.  Something I realized was that the girls had no idea how cool this camp actually was, much like myself during training week. When our first activity was trading post (a snack shop) they loved it! I would always laugh because they kept telling me how much they love camp, but all they did was buy M&Ms at 9am. I was so excited for them to fully experience all that camp had to offer, like the amazing waterslide.

Since I was the one with the watch, I would excitedly tell the girls it was finally time to leave trading post and get to the big stuff, the waterslide. I was so excited to share this amazing piece of camp with the girls, but some of them groaned. They actually wanted to stay at the trading post! They loved playing outside and eating tons of candy, I didn't have the heart to tell them that they could get that stuff at a gas station. But eventually they would get their stuff together and follow me.

Well, to get to the waterslide we needed to walk through some tough terrain. We had to walk through dirt and trees on a narrow path and the girls would complain about why we even left the trading post, it was fun there! They just had no idea what was coming and how good it would be for them.

When we finally got to the destination it was so amazing to see their faces light up. The cool blue water winding down the giant yellow slide was beautiful. I never wanted to make my girls sad by leaving the trading post, I really wanted them to have joy. But I also knew that our time at the trading post was just for a short time and the stuff that was next was even more fun.

I think sometimes God has so much more for us than just the trading post. He wants to show us the waterslide, but loves us to much to force us to leave our comfort zone. As I go into graduation in a few months I am realizing that I have to leave my comfortable trading post. This was my first "activity" of adulthood, but now it is time for new things. God is looking at me with joy and excitement because he knows the good that is just through the narrow path. I want to be excited for this next phase, but I have never experienced it. All I know is the trading post, but thankfully God has already made it to the waterslide and he came back for me so that I can also enjoy it.

Joshua 1:9 "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."

Sometimes God doesn't tell us what the next activity is on our list of life, but he does promise to stay with us the entire journey. What kind of counselor would I be if I told my girls to leave the trading post and just wonder around until they found what I was secretly hoping they would find. No! I lead them the whole time. I encourage them to keep walking when the terrain gets tough. God is always with us and guiding us, it's just that sometimes we need to leave our comfort zone and fully commit to the walk before we can ever find out how cool the next activity really is.