Faith Over Fear

Faith over fear.

This is a phrase you may see on t-shirts, bumper stickers, or on your facebook feed. But I’d like to examine what this looks like in the wake of COVID-19. 

First let’s look at a passage of scripture from the gospel of Mark:

On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him. A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?” And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” Mark 4:35-41

A couple of things stand out to me in this passage.

1. The disciples were in actual danger. It wasn’t a figment of their imagination or something that was just all over the media. There was a storm, they were in a boat, there was legitimate concern for their well-being. 

Which makes Jesus’ reaction to them even more thought-provoking. He wakes up, and has two commands of the sea. “Peace! Be still!” We can apply these same commands to our lives in the midst of this crisis. 

Peace. Peace is something that seems far away in the current news cycle. Peace isn’t dependent on our circumstances because it’s not found in the stock market, our routine, or anything else. We know as Christians that peace is found in Christ alone.

Be still. Jesus was talking to waves in this instance, but social distancing gives a new perspective on being still. You may not be racing out the door for soccer practice or a board meeting, which gives a unique opportunity to practice being still before the Lord. By slowing life down, we should have eyes that are looking for him in new and different ways. 

   2.  “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?” Jesus asks the disciples this challenging question. These men had seen amazing things before their eyes during their time with Jesus. But even then, Jesus recognizes their fear as a symptom of their lack of faith. 

I challenge you to take some time talking to your spouse or a friend about your answer to the question, “Why are you afraid?” The fears during this time are valid, and it’s necessary to process through those emotions with someone. 

We know that we will go through trials in life, but as Christians we have hope in the God who can move mountains, speak the world into being, and raise from the dead. 

My hope is during this unprecedented time, that the church and our homes aren’t defined by fear, but by our faith in Jesus who is our living hope. 

As parents, our perspective in the midst of this will shape the climate within our homes. Do we see Jesus as someone who just doesn’t understand the gravity of the situation? Or as sovereign over all? Our kids are watching, more than ever, so I pray that the climate of our homes may be one of faith and peace in our savior instead of fear.

7 Reasons you should work at Summer Camp.

The College years are a selfish time.

It’s all about you. Your schedule. Your major. Your classes. You. For 4(ish) years the only thing people are going to ask you about is you.

But they don’t have to be.

You see, you have time during college that you won’t have in any other season of your life. You have the longest summers ever; use it well.

The natural inclination for most college students is to find an internship to get a foot in the door for jobs down the road. But you know what, you are probably going to work a 9-5 for the rest of your life so why start before you have to?

You should work at a summer camp instead. Here’s the reasons why:

1. The focus is off of you. For that week/month/entire summer you aren’t worried about yourself or your needs. You are solely focused on pouring into your campers or the task at hand, not you.
2. You learn to be flexible. With your diet, your exercise regimen, your comfort level, your limits. There’s nothing comfortable about sleeping on a wooden floor in 100 degree temperatures surrounded by nature. But if you can adapt here you can adapt anywhere. This is a life skill that is useful in whatever you do with your life; parenting, the work force, etc.
3. You learn to truly depend on the Lord. You reach the end of your strength after about 3 days. YOU can’t do this job but HE can. He will give you the strength, the energy, and the words to say when you let him.
4. You learn to work with different types of people. In any work situation there are going to be people you do not see eye to eye with, people who you would never be friends with in any other context, or people that get on your last nerve. But you learn to make it work. Not by being fake but by the grace the Lord provides.
5. You learn to be comfortable in your own skin. Would you run around your campus wearing jorts, an oversized sombrero, and painted on freckles? Probably not. But at summer camp if you aren’t doing this you are the weird one.
6. It will make you a better parent down the road. You have had a small glimpse of the pride parents feel when their kids excel at things, the frustration of when they fall short of expectations, and the selflessness required to be a Mom/Dad.
7. When you go back to your campus you are different. You run extra with the teammate that is struggling to finish a workout, you start asking your friends deeper questions because you are still in counselor mode, and you find yourself looking for ministry opportunities because the normal selfishness of college drives you crazy now.

So work at summer camp, it will change your life.