Of Rejection Letters and Despression....Well Kinda....

I don't know if you've ever gotten a rejection letter in the mail, but it's annoying. I have for the first time - today. Camp Barnabas officially rejected my application to come on as a staffer for the summer. I tried really hard not to, but my hopes were really high about this and then...*splat* I guess that's my own fault though.

I know God has a purpose though. That's hard to remember don't you think? I know it is for me. Sometimes I have such a hard time just trusting the Lord. It's ridiculous. But He's a good reminder...thankfully! Although, I was tempted to be depressed or sad about it, God found a way to really encourage me.

If there is one thing I would rather do than being on staff at Camp Barnabas, it's going as a volunteer and taking other people. God knew this and when I went to the Alumni game tonight, a friend came up to me and told me that she was sending an application in. Talk about perfect timing! That was the spirit lift I needed. On top of that, three other people are very seriously considering coming.

I'm sad about not going as a staff member, but I have never been happier about going as a volunteer. I mean, after two years of going by myself, I'm ready to take some people! It's sooo life changing. I hope that is why I was meant to stay back, to encourage others to go as volunteers.

BY THE WAY! If you might be interested, look at this site for more info. www.campbarnabas.org and email me. We'd love to have you join the group!!! 

I think people can wave off the verse Romans 8:28 "All things work together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purposes." But the closer I grow in my relationship with God, the more I see the truth in this. As His children, all things DO work together for good. It doesn't mean that things are going to be easy and go our way (Obviously. I wasn't accepted on staff!) but "good" can be something as simple as learning a valuable lesson or growing in Christ. You know that God's #1 desire for you is to be like Him and do the will of the Father? Whoa. Think about that. That kinda explains why bad things happen to Christians. It's during the hard/disappointing/annoying times that we grow the most.

I know I don't always have this attitude, but think about how much easier life would be if we thought this way all the time and tried to find ways that we can grow spiritually in everything - even something as simple as being caught in rush-hour traffic. Can we take every moment and ask ourselves, "What is this situation teaching me?" and make it help us become like Christ?

I know that I sometimes just float through life and don't actually TRY to learn something everyday. Bad. Bad. Bad. That's a dangerous trap that I don't want to fall into. The moment I stop growing is the moment that I need to beg God to teach me to be like Him no matter the cost. We should try to live our lives boldly like that - asking God to teach us to be holy no matter what the cost may be. I would like to see our lives after praying that sincerely. Perfect? Heck no. If you want to be like Christ...you're life will be far from perfect. Happy? In the Lord - yes.

I pray "God help me be like you." a little to nonchalantly. I don't think I realize what that means. I do want to be like Christ, but when I pray that, I'm asking for a life of hardships and disappointment. Don't believe me? Read the Bible. Read about Jesus' life. He had everything, but it wasn't exactly a cup of tea.

WOW I'M OFF TRACK! I'm just typing. I'll stop there. I wanna try to live radically. To be like Christ no matter what and to grow in every situation. I think those two things mixed together will be a very good combination if you are striving for holiness...don't you?