lessons learned

I'm taking a break from all the vacuuming and baking to blog early today before the whole family arrives. There is something so beautiful about togetherness.

Today's reverb 10 prompt is a challenge for me. It's been an eventful year and I look at it in three sections-- two semesters and the summer in between. Summing all of these up in one lesson is a challenge, but I said I'd answer all the posts and so I'm going to. I won most dependable in high school, you know...

the question: What was the best thing you learned about yourself this past year? And how will you apply that lesson going forward?

a piece of the answer:
I think that overall the best lesson I can sum up from all the events of the year is this: in Christ, I am able. I have seen more joys than I can count this year and also conquered things I never thought possible. There are a lot of different aspects we could focus on here but I think once again I will dedicate this entry to the summer at camp...

This summer I had the blessing and the privileged of serving on the biggest team in CentriKid Camps history with the craziest schedule. We ran 12 cycles of camps in 9 weeks, didn't have weekends off, and would often say our goodbyes only to welcome another cycle of kids three hours later. We worked early mornings to very late nights and put our everything into each day, striving ever harder toward excellence so that the gospel could be proclaimed and understood by kids all over the Southeast. We ran ourselves ragged and learned that on our own strength, there was no way we would ever make it. People who find out we were on CK1 marvel at it and ask how it was  possible and all of us laugh a little and willingly tell them it was all God. We couldn't have made it on our own. Really. I remember one day Jeff Slaughter, our incredible worship leader and a huge part of LifeWay's ministry, stood before us and told us "What you're doing is impossible... but you're doing it." And he was so right.


The last cycle of camp one of our staffers said this to us: he couldn't sum up the summer, but leave it to the Lord to do it for you. This passage of scripture spoke to us then and it continues to speak to me now about how able we are in Christ.

 We put no stumbling block in anyone’s path, so that our ministry will not be discredited. Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything. 
--2nd Corinthians 6:3-10


Intense, huh? But true. What I have learned this year is that truly we can do all things through Christ who gives us strength. I cannot believe the things I have accomplished this year... personally, professionally, academically, and even spiritually.

Alas, dear readers... the doorbell is ringing and the festivities are soon to begin.
Until tomorrow!