“The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit request the honor of your presence to confirm His purpose for you.”
Fifth and Sixth grade camp
Two-thousand and twenty-three
Hopetown, Kentucky
“Your response is requested.”
This week at Hopetown we had our 5th-6th grade camp. From playing on the lake, to watching movies during a storm, to solving an escape room, this week was unique and exciting. Most importantly though was our time spent together listening to Melissa’s teachings as she encouraged us to find our purpose in the Lord.
We started our week by watching the highly entertaining, animated film Megamind. In the film the main character, Megamind, is a villain who finds himself wondering whether or not he was made to be more than a bad guy. As he wrestles with his identity it becomes more and more clear to him that he is not merely a product of his circumstances.
As the film concludes Megamind finds a new purpose is being a hero and vows to help others, rather than harm them. The next morning as Melissa reflected on the movie from the night before she noticed one scene in particular that stood out to her. In grade school Megamind is picked last for dodgeball. It is this event, along with several others from his childhood, that form the idea in his mind that he is unwanted and better off being a bad guy.
If there is one thing that we all have in common it is our desire to feel chosen and to feel seen. We can do this with one another by truly paying attention to what people have to say. Melissa encouraged us for the remainder of the week to be curious and ask each other deeper questions that probe deeper responses.
Unfortunately, as much as we might dig deeper with one another our desire to be chosen is a quench that will never be satisfied. There are days that our friends will be too busy to talk or our parents will have other activities going on. That is why the only person who can ever quench that thirst is Jesus.
This is because Jesus knows us the best and made each of us with the utmost intention. We can feel secure that we will always be chosen by him and that his purpose for our lives is greater than we could ever imagine.
Romans 8:29 in The Message says, “God knew what he was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the life of his son. The son stands first in the line of humanity he restored. We see the original and intended shape of our lives there.”
This verse is an invitation to be like Jesus, but not a pressure to be like Him. However the more that we become like Jesus the more clear our purpose will become. That night Melissa asked us to look for qualities displayed in one another that were qualities found in Jesus. If someone saw one of these characteristics in someone else’s heart they were able to encourage them by giving them a colored bead to remember it by. Jesus is…
Joyful (pink bead)
A Peacemaker (blue bead)
Courageous (white bead)
Resilient (orange bead)
Kind (red bead)
Patient (black bead)
Humble (green bead)
Compassionate (yellow bead)
This was an activity repeated every night that allowed campers to both give encouragement and feel encouraged. This is something you could easily try in your own homes. The next morning Melissa took us back to the idea of purpose by pointing towards characters in the Bible. There are so many instances where God has a plan and a purpose for his people but their excuses and their fears often get in the way at first.
God tells Moses to lead his people out of slavery and into the promised land. He responds however by saying that he can’t lead anyone because of his stutter. In Judges 6 God tells Gideon to step into power but Gideon doubts why God would choose him out of all people.
Then in Jeremiah, Jeremiah is called by God to his purpose but he proclaims that he is “too young” to do so. The list goes on and on:
Joshua was afraid to fail
David messed up too badly
Elijah was the only one
Paul was a murderer
Ruth was facing loss
Deborah thought she couldn’t because she was a girl
Peter was only a fisherman
Mary was a teenager
On the wall there was a list with these Biblical heroes on it. All of whom had an incredible purpose for the Lord but were first hesitant to accept His invitation to them. As campers felt inclined they were able to stand up and share what in their life has held them back from accepting God’s invitation of purpose.
With each vulnerable fear and story the campers were told to add their name to the list on the wall. It was incredibly encouraging to watch camper after camper share their heart and listen as they encouraged one another in that. The next morning as campers came downstairs there was an invitation on the wall addressed to them.
It read… “The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit request the honor of your presence to confirm His purpose for you. Fifth and Sixth grade camp Two-thousand and twenty-three Hopetown, Kentucky. Your response is requested.”
God is inviting us to accept his purpose for our lives. He wants to lead us to live a life full of joy and love for one another. All we have to do is accept that invitation. Throughout the week as we reflected on purpose we took part in activities that brought laughter and lasting memories.
Each day we rotated through dance, art, baking, and small group discussion stations. These rotations allowed us to find new talents in ourselves and in each other. We spent plenty of time on the lake conquering our fears and encouraging one another on.
Following a unique 5th-6th grade camp tradition the campers went into town for the day as the interns stayed back to set up a “holiday” for the kids. This year the holiday revolved around the movie Megamind we had watched at the beginning of the week. The campers spent time in their rotation groups solving three homemade escape rooms and using their communication skills to solve puzzles with one another. It was the cherry on top to an already wonderful week.
As we concluded camp Melissa left us with the reassurance that as we follow Christ he will work alongside us to fulfill his purpose in us.
“Whatever God has promised gets stamped with the Yes of Jesus. In him, this is what we preach and pray, the great Amen, God’s Yes and our Yes together, gloriously evident. God affirms us, making us a sure thing in Christ, putting his Yes within us. By his Spirit he has stamped us with his eternal pledge—a sure beginning of what he is destined to complete.” - 2 Corinthians 1:20-22 (MSG)
He wants our purpose to align with his because where we find him we find an abundance of joy. How can you say yes to God’s invitation for purpose in your life today?
