"But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." Galatians 5:22.
Being a camp counselor taught me a lot things -- from practical parenting to surviving with sleep deprivation and dealing with heat exhaustion and everything in-between. You realize how in your weakest moments, God will always show up. I am forever thankful for my times spent at camp, and the lessons I was taught through each moment. Here is how God taught me the fruits of the Spirit, through my moments at camp.
Self control.
If you've ever been in the shoes of someone taking care of 12 kids, you know that you aren't always going to understand the actions of your campers and you're probably going to want to yell, more times than not and it's with that; that you realize that the only way you can get through the day is by letting Jesus control your actions.
Gentleness.
One of the most important things that you can give your campers is continuous grace, you learn that the only that you are going to allow that is if you let the gentleness of God come through you.
Faithfulness.
Once the session is over, it can be hard to stay in touch with your campers, but the most important thing is that you always let them know that you are they. Being a counselor has taught me the importance of following through with my relationships and the beauty that comes from consistency.
Goodness.
After you become a camp counselor, you understand you now have little eyes watching every move you make. You become more aware of your actions, the way you speak and how you live your life. You want to give them the example that always points back to Jesus.
Kindness.
Your actions must be coated with compassion. You learn things about your campers and the way their lives are back home and while you can't change the situations, you learn that listening with a sympathetic heart is sometimes all they need.
Patience.
This might be the first thing you learn when dealing with 12 kids at a time. You're hot, the days are long, and the questions they ask are even longer but you learn that at the end of the day, you didn't just answer 13,243 questions but you did it all with a smile on your face and love in your heart for each child that asked.
Peace.
The kids in your cabin become like your own kids, and your worst nightmare is them going back home and forgetting everything they learned at camp, but this is when you get to trust in your loving Father that loves them even more than you do, and he grants you with peace that they are in His hands.
Joy.
You got a total of five hours of sleep, took four kids to the bathroom during the night, poured three rounds of juice at breakfast, two are dealing with homesickness and one was sent to the health center. Yet, in the midst of it all you got to help conquer the fear of the zip line and you see the smiles of the faces going down the slide for the 10th time and you learn there is joy found in the hardest of times.
Love.
More than anything, you learn how to love, even when it's hard.
There are a lot of ways to spend your summer, but do yourself a favor and sign up for the best summer of your life, sign up to be a camp counselor.
