The week actually started out kinda rough, to be honest. Camp is sometimes a hard week for me. Various reasons. *shrug* But by Tuesday evening I was enjoying the sessions, and the friends, and the fellowship.
As for what I learned... it would take far too long to tell all the things I learned. *smile* But here's one thing: I was reminded yet again of just how incredibly thankful I am to be connected to my church group. I looked around the tabernacle several times last week, saw all these people that I've known for most of my life, and realized they weren't just friends that I saw occasionally.... they really were family. They were people that have laughed with me, and cried with me, and prayed for me, and cared about me, and shared with me, and carried burdens with me, and celebrated over victories with me, and.... I realized yet again just how very much I would give up if I ever left. It wouldn't be just a matter of 'changing churches', it would be losing family, losing fellowship, losing prayer support, losing true friendship (the forever kind of friends), losing the sharing, losing... well, a huge piece of my heart. No, my church group is not perfect. No group made up of humans is. But as I looked around at all these beautiful, godly, sincere, authentic people, it hit me like a ton of bricks how much some people have given up over the stupidest reasons. It's so easy to get offended, so easy to misunderstand, so easy to carry a grudge, so easy to walk away from the very people who rejoice and suffer and care and pray with you. And then you find there is no substitute. We need each other, and there's no way around that. God created us with a humongous need for fellowship, both with Himself, and with each other. And I realized that what I have in this group of believers is something worth an awful lot. It's worth hanging in there through the difficult times. It's worth putting aside my own pride, and not becoming offended. It's worth putting aside my own jealousies. It's worth putting my 'rights' aside. It's worth fighting for.
As for what I learned... it would take far too long to tell all the things I learned. *smile* But here's one thing: I was reminded yet again of just how incredibly thankful I am to be connected to my church group. I looked around the tabernacle several times last week, saw all these people that I've known for most of my life, and realized they weren't just friends that I saw occasionally.... they really were family. They were people that have laughed with me, and cried with me, and prayed for me, and cared about me, and shared with me, and carried burdens with me, and celebrated over victories with me, and.... I realized yet again just how very much I would give up if I ever left. It wouldn't be just a matter of 'changing churches', it would be losing family, losing fellowship, losing prayer support, losing true friendship (the forever kind of friends), losing the sharing, losing... well, a huge piece of my heart. No, my church group is not perfect. No group made up of humans is. But as I looked around at all these beautiful, godly, sincere, authentic people, it hit me like a ton of bricks how much some people have given up over the stupidest reasons. It's so easy to get offended, so easy to misunderstand, so easy to carry a grudge, so easy to walk away from the very people who rejoice and suffer and care and pray with you. And then you find there is no substitute. We need each other, and there's no way around that. God created us with a humongous need for fellowship, both with Himself, and with each other. And I realized that what I have in this group of believers is something worth an awful lot. It's worth hanging in there through the difficult times. It's worth putting aside my own pride, and not becoming offended. It's worth putting aside my own jealousies. It's worth putting my 'rights' aside. It's worth fighting for.
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