Whistle while you work

My whistle is my barrier between myself and the campers. It instantly sets us apart, me on the one side with the staff, and them on the other side with the campers. You wouldn’t dare see a Junior camper meandering around with a whistle and smug look, it would cause too much confusion! During Teen Camp I wear it prominently because the age difference between myself and some of these high school graduated campers is awkwardly small. This whistle says to them that I know where the first aid kit is, I know what the night game will be, and basically that I’m in the ‘Know’.

But it doesn’t stop there it also says, un-intentionally or not, that I’ve got it figured out that that I’ve been there but I’ve come through and that I can pray for you but I probably don’t need prayer myself. And that’s where my whistle failed me.

I’ve been so confused and so lost but my whistle and all these other easy boundaries like my smile have always shown to others that I’m good. Really, I’m good. But I wasn’t. But last week has changed me. A few night ago I was able to open up to crowd of people, most of whom I don’t know, about my story and the challenges I’ve faced and the pain I’ve hidden and I did it all sans whistle.

So this short post isn’t really about the camp as a whole; I didn’t even mention a single thing about Pretzel sandwiches, but it is about the power of God and how He is working at this camp. It’s about how He changed a heart that was so closed off from Him and about how the girl who received His grace didn’t even see it coming. So please, I have a long road ahead of me, will you pray for me?