Whatever is...

With the church camp season almost upon us, lists are floating all over my small apartment. Lists of things to pack, purchase, leave behind, goals, and whatever else I can think of in preparation. There is so much that doesn't belong at camp, so what I allow myself to bring can be tricky. Not just longer shorts and extra deodorant, but there are spiritual things that have to come along to.

What am I bringing to camp this year? My prayer journal, my Bible, my Rosary. But more importantly, I am bring my favorite verse to meditate on as the weeks go by. My focus over the next fives will be a verse from Philippians that caught my attention at the end of the camp season last summer. I've carried it quietly in my head ever since then, but I have yet to truly put it into practice.

Last year's camp season was not an easy one. There were physical challenges (tornado, flood, heat, etc.) but there were more difficult emotional challenges. There was a grudge or two, some loneliness, and a fixation on the negative rather than the positives of camp.

Which is where Philippians 4:8 comes in. The goal over the next five weeks is to focus on the good, but more than just the good. The true, the noble, right, pure, lovely... You get the picture. I want to see those things. The excellent, praise-worthy pieces of camp and I want to keep them close as the weeks go by.

But more than that, I want this attitude to extend beyond camp. Somewhere along the way, camp became a sort of spiritual restart button for me. It's that time of year where I really check in and try to understand where I am at in my faith and how I can do better.


Tota tua.

Thrive not Survive

The Lord is my Shepherd, there is nothing I shall want PS 23:1-3A

I think oftentimes, when we hear that infamous Psalm, the thought is that because we have God, we should not want for anything. We should be well-fed and well-rested, we should not be afraid or anxious. Only good stuff will happen to us, because God is our Shepherd. All because we believe in God.That doesn't sound quite right to me; this idea that because we believe, we are never going to want.

That passive attitude that by believing, things are all going to be okay is a dangerous one. To have the faith of a child, to have the ability to truly rely on the Lord is an important one, but God is not there to do everything for us. We are called to work and to persevere with God beside us every day. In Paul's letter to the Philippians, we are reminded that we can do all. But there is more context to that quote than just the thirteenth line.

 Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.  Nevertheless, you have done well to share with me in my affliction. Philippians 4:11-14

What is being taught is a further, deeper understanding of the Lord's providence. There is more to it than just being provided for, but the reality is we can survive it all through God, the good or the bad. We may want all kinds of things, we may desire the world, but with God walking beside us through that dark valley, we can do more than survive it, we can thrive in it.

We have greater goals than not wanting for anything. There is more to achieve, more to want than just not being in humble circumstances. Abundance or suffering does not matter, as long as you trust in the Lord to help you survive whatever is in front of you.