Every summer staffer shared the ways that Jesus worked in their lives during the incredible month away at Malibu. He showed his love to many through the campers' lives and how they progressed throughout the week, ending their camp experiences by making the commitment to live in the arms of Jesus for the rest of their lives. As for me, working behind the scenes mowing grass when the campers were in club or dead heading flowers while they ate lunch I didn't have the opportunity to interact with many kids and found myself having long conversations with the savior of my life. It was in these long moments of quiet and solitude the Lord shared his love with me - In a way that was different from most others. He simply reminded me that it's okay to rest. Actually, not just okay but commanded and needed. I've spent the last couple of years constantly on the go, always having one thing after the next. My mind has become so active, thinking about this, doing that, never having a moment to just "be." I haven't experienced such peace and utter relaxation of being with the Lord alone in quite sometime. No internet, no telephone, nothing to distract me from the beauty of connecting with the God of this universe and with the other wonderful people that I was blessed to work with for a month. No doubt, it was a struggle everyday to rely on the Lord to let my mind focus on Him and the relationships of those around me instead of being fixed on the next job for the day or what I needed to do upon arriving home. God doesn't intend for these things to be easy but I can't thank him enough for making me aware of my busy mind and showing me that with his help alone I can learn how to rest again.
So often the Lord uses people to share his word, his grace and himself with us and he surely used my intern Kendra in speaking to me during the time I was there. After a brief conversation about what was on my heart (while we were putting coffee grounds in the soil around the flowers to make it look darker and prettier), Kendra let me borrow the book, "Safe In The Shepard's Arms" by Max Lucado. In it I found a passage that really clarified that Jesus wants me not only to rest but to fully rest in him. In him alone I can find rest and a peaceful heart like nothing else.
You have a God who hears you, the power of love behind you, the Holy Spirit within you, and all of heaven ahead of you. If you have the shepherd, you have grace for every sin, direction for every turn, a candle for every corner, and an anchor for every storm. You have everything you need.
