Whatever you do, work at it with all your
heart, as working for the Lord and not for human masters.
~Colossians 3:23
Don’t you love to hear Jesse’s voice echoing across the pond
as he proclaims the goals of our sports program at CWE? I do.
And not only because Jesse’s voice is the best sound in the whole world,
but also because I have loved that mission statement from the first time I was
initiated into the CADDO tribe. I learned a lot through relationships,
service and being exhausted my first summer here, but what changed my life was
going back to the U of A striving to live out maximum effort, maximum
enthusiasm and true sportsmanship in my everyday life.
I interviewed a former camper last week. She told me how every year she has tried to
convince her little sister to come to camp and every year her sister refuses
based on the fact that she hates sports.
The cool thing about this convo was that this girl I was interviewing
used to hate sports too. As we talked,
she explained how tribal comp became fun for her as she bought into the 3
flames instead of dreading that hour of the day.
I was thinking about the three flames because we're almost through the semester, and if you’re like me, you get pumped about school in
September when it’s starting: classes,
Bible studies, friendships, working out, all the new activities and goals you
have planned for the year. You’re living
the dream and then October hits and your As turn to Bs, you skip the gym, you
sleep though quiet times and you’re a little less enthusiastic about your
football team. This is the normal rhythm
of life, but if you are a follower of Christ and the Holy Spirit is alive in
you, He will empower you to consistently live out Colossians 3:23.
Currently you might relate more with the camper who disliked
tribal competition. We all have things
we dread. For me it’s cleaning. For you it could be homework, chapter, going
home, or a job. There are always going to
be necessary tasks in life. Are you
going to begrudgingly start your paper or attack it with the three flames? Like the campers you will find the journey
more fulfilling if you enter it with an attitude of willingness and
excitement.
Therefore,
my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now
much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and
trembling, for
it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good
purpose. ~Philippians
2:12-13
-Jenny Loyd
