Seeing Reality

So... in this part of my life, I am a camp counselor. With that comes a lot of responsibility, including devotions before bed each night. Last week devos centered around our tribe name and verse(s): Seraphim (meaning fiery ones) from Isaiah 6:3 (and Numbers 21:9). It was a great study. The girls did not open up much even to answer simple questions like "What did the seraphim do in this passage?" At the end of the week, some of the girls referenced things from devos in a different context- and referenced it excitedly. This was proof enough for me that it really touched and impacted them! I was so excited!

This week I have no new campers, which means the girls already know each other. I hoped this would help them open up more... The topic which I decided on for this week was another reason to be excited. I told a couple of the campers how excited I was. Then devos came. I gave the girls some time to reflect and write down how they view themselves- not how they think others see them, or what they want to be, or what they know they should think. After that, we briefly talked about how the negative views of ourselves stem from lies, and that we need to dwell on truths about God to counteract these deep-seated lies.

After I closed us in prayer and the girls started to prepare for bed, I recognized that at least one girl (called GirlA for now) was very pensive and seemed upset. I feared that I had done something horribly wrong in picking the topic. I do not want the girls to "beat themselves up" because of devos. Instead I hope they trust the Lord to help them break free of their wrong perceptions. I did consider that it could have been conviction from the Lord- and I pray that it was! Earlier today I spoke with another camper (called GirlB) about how I was concerned that the girls may be upset with me about the devo topic. She admitted to me that she was mad at me last night after devos. She was first mad at herself for having those thoughts, and mad at me for making her think about, and especially writing it down. GirlB asked me if she could burn or throw away the paper. I explained the entire week's devotion plan to try to encourage her about the direction of the study. It helped. Finally, we decided to seal her paper in an envelope for her to revisit later in her life for her to reflect on how she has grown and what the Lord has done in her life.

In devos tonight, we basically talked about Truth... jumped around the Bible looking at various passages and verses about truth, lies, and temptation. The girls were interacting, reading from the Word, answering questions, and discussing with each other! (All but GirlA... which still concerns me, because she wouldn't talk to me after devos tonight) GirlB assured me that she was not mad at me tonight, that it was much better than last night! I do believe that my girls (except maybe GirlA) gained and grew from devos tonight! If you could pray for GirlA, that she is not being attacked by Satan right now, but being convicted by God, that would be greatly appreciated! Please pray for GirlB and the others, that they will apply the truths to their lives and take them to heart so they can use them when the time comes!