Confessions of a kids camp counselor: Tracking God
A monster white-tail buck roams the woods of Camp Harmony, a Wesleyan-based campground in western Pennsylvania near Johnstown.
So does a raccoon, opossum and a wild turkey.
During the last week of June, I enjoyed a week of camping as a counselor of the Western PA. Wesleyan Kids camp … my fourth year on the staff of a program dedicated to taking children away from their plugged-in world and inserting them into nature, filling the electronics void with the inspired Word of God and numerous outdoor adventures designed to push their limits and conquer fears.
The experience is always an amazing journey. There is something special that happens each year at camp that helps these children grow in their faith while building new lifelong friendships and exploring the world around them.
Part of that “world” included a muddy trail between our sleeping quarters and the dining hall. It was a path we crossed several times a day, and it offered an amazingly cool object lesson – each trip we’d check the trail closely for new signs of wildlife.
Stamped in plain view in the thick mud one morning was a large deer track. The pure size alone was a clear indication that this was no run-of-the-mill whitetail – it could have been a borderline elk or cow. Except, it wasn’t. The tread was a clear-cut sign that a massive buck had crossed the path not long before our trip to breakfast.
On an evening hike, we noticed two odd, yet distinct, set of wildlife tracks. One clearly was from a nice-sized raccoon. The other featured toe splayed at odd angles – an attribute of an opossum track. On a different occasion, a set of turkey tracks crossed the path.
It became a game for the five young men in my group. Who would find the freshest tracks first? What animals would they be from? And, what lesson could be drawn from the simple task of scanning mud for new signs of wildlife?
You see, we never did see the monster buck, the raccoon, the opossum or the turkey, and yet we knew they were there. The tracks they left behind were obvious beacons to their existence.
It is very much like God. None of us see Him directly. Unfortunately for many non-believers, seeing is necessary for belief, and that isn’t how God works. At least not on the surface.
He does leave a variety of signs for each of us on our daily walks. A beautiful sunrise, a random act of kindness, an answer to prayer. If we make an effort to see these signs as they are meant to be – as distinct ways to see God in a world devoted to looking the other way. They are his animal tracks left behind in the miry mud of our lives to encourage us to fight the good fight and spread His message that He is real and His message of salvation needs to be heard.
There are many references in the Bible to signs of God. From the fire called down by Elijah onto a water-soaked altar to a burning bush. As believers who follow God by faith, we shouldn’t really need His signs to stay the course – but He provides them anyway.
What God signs have you noticed today? How can you use them to inspire someone in your life who hasn’t fully accepted Christ into his/her heart?
Remember, we don’t need to see the deer to know it lives nearby – and God offers the same comfort to those willing to seek those signs with the enthusiasm of a 10-year-old hiking along a muddy trail.
Check out each part of the “Confessions of a kids camp counselor” series by clicking below. More posts will be on the way soon: