Jun 26, 2019
by Katie Brown
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him, and he
will make straight your path.”
—Proverbs 3:5 (ESV)
Summertime is a season of imagination and adventure. That is what we remember as children with long summer days and magical, firefly-filled nights. There is a sense of wonderment and possibilities. Perhaps this is associated with the opportunities for camping, road trips, church camps, VBS, and other outdoor activities with friends and loved ones. There is a blessing of fellowship in the summer months even when the weather can be oppressive (speaking as an Arkansan). And as we grow into the roles of camp counselors and VBS leaders, we still keep a spark of excitement in anticipation of the new moments of joy ahead.
Sometimes I think it would be wonderful to go back to those memories of bliss around the campfire as a young teen at camp. I can still smell the smoke and bug spray as we sang worship songs and asked for prayer. But as I grew older, I have to admit that I grew more wary of the summer months with responsibilities and deadlines. It started for me in SCSC as I took on leadership positions in summer church programs for the first time. I noticed the change in myself from carefree camper to stressed out counselor. I loved the opportunity to work with children and fellowship with other believers—but I had to start viewing summer in a different light. I had to learn to trust my summer to the Lord with all of my heart and not to lean on my own understanding.
The challenges involved with summer plans are invitations to trust God to make our paths straight. There are times that I did not know how I was going to do what needed to be done, but God always provided a way when I couldn’t see one. As our faith muscles grow, we learn to trust God sooner. And as much as I loved being a camper, I’m grateful for the lessons of gratitude and grace that I have learned from succeeding and failing as an adult in the summer months. There are many ways to trust God in the big and small moments over this summer, whether it is mowing grass for neighbors, leading worship for the youth, driving a group across the country, or playing one more round of red rover with grade school children.
There is joy in trusting God and a promise that He will make our paths straight when we do this and acknowledge Him in the process. This is an idea that I am trying to repeat to myself when I am facing obstacles that seem especially intimidating. God has a desire for us to trust in Him with everything that we do. There is nothing too small this summer or this year for us to hand over to God. And with that, we have to agree not to take it back immediately and try not to lean on our own understanding again. (That’s a difficult one for me, but I’m learning.) There is a peace in knowing that He will make your path straight.
He will make your path straight: sitting in a busy airport after a flight is delayed or cancelled; packing your house for a move across the country; driving your daughter or son to their new college dorm; arriving to the camp grounds for the first time as a camp counselor or camp director; taking that leap of faith in your job, school, community, church, or conference. When we trust God with all of our hearts this summer, and acknowledge Him in all of our ways, He will make our paths straight.
