by RTF Editor B.J. Hamrick

Summer camp has always been a favorite pastime of mine. Red hot dogs, cold showers, and blue food-coloring in my sister’s makeup (score!).

A while back I was asked to write an advertisement for a camp I attended as a kid. After I finished the ad the staff asked, “Do you think you could write something that would make kids WANT to come to camp?”

So I set out to do just that. I wrote about goats. And chickens. And bears. And plastic spiders under pillows. I wrote about toothpaste in the centers of Oreos.

The part the staff was really asking about, though, was would I… would I… would I (dare I say it?)… write about my CHANGED HEART?

See, summer camp changed me. Yes, I was still a practical joker. But somewhere between sewing up the legs in someone’s underwear (I have Lissa Halls Johnson to thank for that idea) and pouring ice down the backs of my friends (why did ANYONE hang out with me?), some truth erupted in my heart.

You know how it is. Campfires. Songs. Required devotions. Beautiful scenery. All these things left me begging for more of God. All these things left me knowing that I wanted Him more than anything. All these things left me praying that the change in my heart would last… forever.

In the words of Bebo Norman:

It’s a better place
Standing high upon this mountain
I’ve seen Your face
Full of the light
That holiest height
Can show…
~Bebo Norman

I think it’s that way for a lot of us. Whether we go to camp or not, God’s voice is a little easier to hear during these summer months.  There aren’t as many distractions. We’re on the proverbial mountaintop.

Then Life Happens.

Trust me, I’ve been there. And my friends have been there too. Over the years, we’ve wondered… what can we do to see our God-relationship thrive once the stresses of life hit again?

So as we head back to school this fall, here are a couple of things to help guide us on our way:

• Make time for God. We can’t hear Him speak unless we stop and listen. And what a blessing to experience more of Him! Be still and know that I am God…

• Avoid practical jokes. Just kidding.

• Keep hanging out with people who love Him. It’s easier to stay on track when others are walking in the same direction.

• Get up and try again when we’ve failed. Every relationship has ups and downs… why shouldn’t our relationship with God be the same way?

So let’s plan ahead before school starts. The awesome thing is – if we trust Him, God will make the changes in our hearts last a lot longer than red hot dogs or blue make-up. (And that’s a good thing, because my sister didn’t look that great as a blue smurf anyway.)

****
BJ Hamrick loves to live and laugh on her blog, www.bhhamrick.com. She’s also super-excited to be a part of Real Teen Faith.