To every college kid re-entering the "real world" after working at camp this summer, this is for you. This transition you're in right now is confusing, hard, and really weird. All of a sudden, you're back in the middle of people who don't understand, trying to keep up with the crazy pace of college life while still processing everything that went down over the summer.
You’re in this indescribable limbo of leaving behind the selfless, intentional environment of camp and re-entering your college campus, where it’s all about your own comfort and success. You might be longing to be back at camp so much it hurts. Or maybe you were ready to leave. Regardless, you're trying to figure out how to live without forgetting that the last three months ever happened. You’ve been thrown abruptly into an environment that couldn’t be more different than the one you just left.
Each day of camp, you carried the weight of campers’ souls. You waged war for their salvation and restoration. You emptied yourself so they would see the sacrificial love of Jesus and didn’t think twice about it, because that was your job. And even when that job got hard, no more than a couple hours could pass without someone checking on you, praying for you, or encouraging you. Camp equipped you to fight for the things that matter.
But the battle you were fighting was never even yours to fight. You could love campers relentlessly, stay up praying for hours, devote every second of every day to sharing the gospel, but the results were never really up to you. This battle in which you were so heavily engaged was never a battle for results because, try as you might, no human has the power to change a heart. Jesus is the One fighting for each heart, and your battle all along has simply been to trust Him.
So here you are, back on campus, where you tend to only carry the weight of your own soul, where the war you wage is often to stay afloat in the midst of classes, organizations, and social obligations, where it’s hard to find opportunities to empty yourself, and where the people around you aren’t invested in your well-being or faith. The battle you fight here looks immensely different than the battle you fought at camp. Here, you fight complacency. You fight selfishness and comfort. You fight to deny yourself and answer yes to Jesus, but how do you do that when your days are full of seemingly purposeless obligations? The battle you fight now might be far less radical and exciting, but it is no less glorious.
Every day Jesus calls you. Every day He invites you to participate in glory. At camp, you saw visible glory and measurable success every day. Here, you have to look for it. But He is faithful. He is still calling you to trust Him, even in the mundane. So if you continue fighting this battle to trust, He will continue to make the journey worthwhile.
Even if you feel like you don't know how to carry camp life over to campus life, know this:
God is the same (Hebrews 13:8).
He is faithful, even when we can’t see it (Lamentations 3:23).
We are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls (Hebrews 10:39).
We are no less called when we’re away from camp (2 Peter 2:8-9).
People all around us are still hurting and in need of love.
There was a season for camp, and there is a season for school. So let’s be joyful and do good in the present season (Ecclesiastes 3).
There is still power in our prayers (James 5:16).
We consider everything (even camp) loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:8). He is better.
We can still tell of His mighty acts (Psalm 145:4).
His Word is still holy, comforting, and powerful (Hebrews 4:12).
Our guilt and shame is still nailed to the cross. We are held only to a standard of grace (Galatians 5:24-25).
So no matter how mixed up your emotions are, and no matter how much you miss camp life, cling to what doesn't change. Remember the stories the last few months held, but get busy making more. Devote yourself to prayer, and watch as Jesus continues to blow your mind. Great is His faithfulness.
