Post-Camp Plan-of-Attack
20th January 2011 by MORE
So the washing machine's a-spinnin, you've showered without six other people in the room, and you've breathed a Dorothy sigh of relief: there's no place like home. But how you doin', really?
There's nothing quite like a huge spiritual event, right? A whole heap of us just had a massive time partying down at Kingdom Come – for us New Zealanders there's still a couple camps to go, and it's summer holidays, baby! So you've been walking round in a place that's been infused with the Holy Spirit, worshipping for at least a few hours per day, and hanging out in a community of Christians who are generally pretty passionate about hearing the Word and letting God move in their lives.
Then, ka-blam. A plane trip, a road trip, a whatever trip, and you end up at home – in the real world. If you're anything like me, you'll be sitting on the couch adding all your camp friends on Facebook. And there's this massive question burning: what now?
Generally there's stuff we promise to God at camps, yeah? We get caught up in these moments of passionate surrender, and use these big words like anything, anywhere, anyhow. Sometimes the reality of that is a bit harder. Okay God, so ... where to now? What's the first, actual step I can take in my real life to make this work? Sometimes we don't even know exactly what we promised to change. Sometimes we feel dry and dead like the spiritual water we were drinking at camp just all dried up.
There's no easy fix for the post-camp down-buzz. In fact, our whole spiritual journey will be filled with highs and lows like this – but God promises that persevering through them will make us stronger (James 1:4). Here's a couple of things to help you along the way ...
Get smart!
Know in advance that Satan will be attacking. He doesn't want transformed warriors of Christ getting back into the world! So anticipate it, identify it when it comes, and rebuke it in Jesus' name.
Praise!
Don't forget to thank God for the awesome times at camp. Focusing on praising Him for who He is, rather than getting all messed up by what's changed for us – this will help keep our spirits up.
Step up!
Pray about what parts of camp God wants transformed into concrete action. Whether it's changing your breakfast cereal or getting into the Word, make sure you listen up, write it down, and commit to it.
Connect!
Not only do we need to connect with God when the tough stuff comes – we need people to support us. Let the people who normally support you know what's going on post-camp. Flick those new friends you met at camp an email – they won't think you're a freak. In fact, they're probably going through the same thing!
That's probably enough to-dos for now, right? It's been a few sleepless days, so go catch a few zzzs. In fact, I'm off to do some washing ...
By Sarah Dillon (New Zealand Cadet)
save. grow. serve.
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