my tribute to sherlock

All of these pictures were from Pinterest. I didn't make any of them or anything like that.

♥
Bekah Joan

the camp post

(Here's a picture of a sign that really doesn't go with the post.)

My mom asked me if she thought my time at camp helped me grow in my faith at all. I told her I don't know. Time will tell. But one thing I do (know): forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. (That's part of our staff verse. Philippians 3:12-14. That's also not what I was going to say, but I couldn't get it out of my mind so yeah.)
But one thing I do know: camp this summer pointed out my weaknesses. Those would be impatience, worrying (not trusting God), and not loving the unlovable when I need to. So now I just need to remember to apply what I've learned instead of forgetting about it. I guess that goes with the whole pressing on thing, doesn't it?
Moving on...
To start from the beginning, I was supposed to work in the kitchen (where I was comfortable) this summer, except for one week. That week I was going to be on counseling staff (scary. Very scary). Somehow, though, I ended up being on counseling staff for the whole summer. (Well, all of the weeks I worked at camp, that is.) It was a challenge, but a good one.
There was one thought that kept coming back to me all summer: everyone is unique. After the first week, I wondered who would be the (*picks random name*) Stacey of next week. Who would be the Jane? But when the next week rolled around, there wasn't a Stacey- or Jane-like personality. There were different personalities, none the same. There was a Suzanne, but no Stacey. A Gabby, but not a Jane. Realizing that we're all unique, different, and special was a new way of seeing things for me, and it was beautiful.
I also realized how wonderful kids are, but that I don't really want to be a mother of a whole cabin-full of them.
Another point:
When I went to camp, I was a bit frustrated. I knew I wasn't going to have very much time to write, which I absolutely love doing. Even when I did have time, I didn't know how much of that time I'd want to spend writing. I'd want to catch up with God, or myself, or some of the staff. So while I wanted writing to be a priority this summer, I knew it wouldn't be, and it wasn't. Looking back on those five-and-a-half weeks, though, I know it was a good thing I didn't write a lot. The break was nice. It probably did me good. But now that camp is over, I've started up again. I'm very glad I'm back home with my characters. I missed them.
(Maybe) the last point.
Camp brought out my fun side. I have it. It's always been there, but it's been suppressed when I'm around strangers. Even though I was around a lot of strangers this summer, my fun side was forced out. You have to be enthusiastic around the campers. If I'm down and "boring," that can affect them. If they don't want to play the camp game, with how much more of a grudging attitude will they play if I'm not enthusiastic? (It's pretty hard to not be enthusiastic about the games, though. They're usually fun. But you get my point.)
And I'm not saying that I'm boring and grumpy, because I'm not. Although I think I know some people who would probably disagree with that. And sometimes I am grumpy and "boring." But the whole "boring" thing frustrates me because we all have our own definition of it. That's a completely different discussion for another time, though. Anyway, I'm not perfect, and I don't even know where this is going. So have a nice day and I'm terribly sorry for the all-over-the-placeness of this post, plus anything confusing.
♥
Bekah Joan

no worries

At camp, the paid summer staff and a few others give short testimonies on the things God has recently been teaching us. This was mine for last week.
I worry too much. I'm always trying to plan ahead to make sure everything will run smoothly and stuff like that. When something goes wrong, I obsess over it and can't stop worrying.
Usually, this happens on weekends. There's so much to do, but barely any time to get it all done. So I end up stressing out and worrying while I'm doing things I would normally enjoy.
Worrying has this way of sucking all the fun out of anything. And this weekend, I did some fun things. I went swimming with my sister, I wrote in one of my stories, I watched some Doctor Who, hung out with one of my friends and my family, and a whole bunch of awesome stuff like that.
But I didn't enjoy any of those things nearly as much as I could have. I let worry take over my mind, and it cost me a weekend that could have been a lot more fun than it was.
I was reminded of two verses, Matthew 6:26-27. They've helped me to remember that God is in control, a He'll watch over me.
"Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?"
♥
Bekah Joan

patience

At camp, the paid summer staff and a few others give short testimonies on the things God has recently been teaching us. This was mine for last week.
Lately, I've been having trouble with patience. This weekend, I had some problems with my sisters and my family. I was annoyed because they weren't doing things the way I wanted them to, and it was really hard to not explode at them. I'm kind of having the same problem this week.
But the other day, I was reminded of something a good friend of mine had written. She was talking about how she thoughts crows were ugly and she didn't like them. But then she went on to say that we are ugly crows. And she's right. We're all sinners. So this week, God has been reminding me that I'm just as ugly as the people I'm getting annoyed with. That has helped me to stay more patient this week, and I hope it helps you guys too.
"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." Romans 3:23-24
♥
Bekah Joan