For the youth teams this is the last week of the summer while the children’s camp has a couple of sessions to go. They probably can’t imagine it has gone by so fast. Some of the weeks have been a blur of lugging rec party equipment back to the pod, setting up for evening worship, staying up too late laughing… But in each week there are faces, stories and moments of God unexpectedly showing up that will live long in their memory. It has been a good summer of Following the Road.
One verse of this summer’s theme song talks about finding God’s will for what is next. People have been wrestling with this question for a long time.
Life is a mystery. When we try to control everything about our life, we are denying the mysterious reality of our very breath. Mystery is about choice – what happens if I open this door vs. that window, choose this school vs. that one… Mystery can give life meaning. How boring would life be if we already knew everything?
God is a mystery. We think we know who God is, but honestly, whatever box we construct to explain or contain God is simply too small. A friend taught me that God is as close as your next breath. You are literally breathing in God’s presence now… and now. I like that thought. It has carried me through some dark days.
It is as we walk in the mystery, that we find God. It is in the doing that we discover. Faith is not knowing that this door is the better choice, but in trusting that God will be with us, no matter what may come our way. And when we learn that, the fear of the choice begins to fade. Teenagers and young adults are faced with some life-altering choices, like what to do with their lives. Adults have some big choices also.
What is God’s will in these choices? I couldn’t say. But take a deep breath – breathing in God’s presence, and take a step forward, knowing that many twists and turns lie ahead, and being confident that God is with you as you follow the road.
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David Burroughs
David Burroughs is the president & founder of of Passport, Inc.