Who Else But Him?

I cannot fathom, for even a second, all that God manages on a daily basis.

Helping with TCM’s Sonshine Day Camp has been more than fulfilling. As a team, we strive to make the camp a reflection of Christ’s love for the children. Yet sometimes, I just feel insecure, as if I’m doing something wrong. Should the kids be opening up to me more? Have I shared enough of the Gospel message? What more can I do? There are incidents I don’t always see because another child called for my attention. Interactions were cut short because of an activity I needed to organize. So many kids to support, yet only so many of us in orange shirts. 

Debriefs came and went. I heard about the opportunities that the mission teams, volunteers, and even other interns had, and how they were able to have a Jesus moment with a child that day. My mind lingered on that detail. Why didn’t I have those moments with the kids?

I am thankful, however, that through my limited attention, I understand how incredible God is. He never takes His eyes off us. He knows what we need and what we are going through at all times. 

It’s funny that God would give me the opportunity I was searching for when I least expected it- at Treetop Trekking.

This year was *Sean’s first year trying the intermediate treetop trekking courses. He could have done the course last year, but he has a fear of heights. I had a feeling that I would need to support him when I saw him struggling with the orientation course.

My group of boys skipped the first part of the course, so *Sean felt a huge jump in difficulty that other kids would not have felt. So much so that he wanted to turn back during an activity that only allowed us to move forward. Though he was safely harnessed and would never hit the ground, I did my best to support him during my first treetop trekking experience.

Even though he was always safe, I understood his fear. I helped make the platform he walked on just a little less wobbly. I encouraged him and coached him. Then, as someone afraid of heights, *Sean was able to complete two courses at the end of the day. What an incredible win!

I later found out how *Sean was sharing with everyone how proud he was of the trial he overcame. That’s where I recognized God was teaching me, too. When I felt exhausted from coaching, God was giving me the moment I’d waited for. I understood then that I would never know the full impact of where God sends me.

And are we not like *Sean, too? Too focused on the ground beneath us and not moving forward, trusting that we are harnessed to our Father? How patient He is coaching us through life. 

This experience helped me have full faith that His hands can be found in the work we’ve done all summer. As it is written in Isaiah 55:8-9:

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

His ways are not our ways, so how could I question the One who knows exactly how to use each one of us for His purpose?

We learned during the internship training that we simply plant seeds of the Gospel and water them; God does the growing. All the fun and laughter I’ve shared with the campers? I have faith that God has used me exactly as He needed, and that the moments that needed to happen, happened. 

I don’t know how the time I’ve spent with the kids will impact them later.

Who else but Him?

*name changed to protect privacy