Sunday, June 23, 2013

The Least of These . . .


But many who are the greatest now will be least important then, and those who seem least important now will be the greatest then.  Matthew 19.30 

 

I was nervous and apprehensive. . .

 

I’d never worked with these people before.  What if I didn’t do the right thing?  What if they didn’t like me?  What if I couldn’t understand what they were saying?  What if I messed up?  A thousand questions were running through my head as I questioned my sanity in committing to a whole week at camp!

 

It had started out as a gentle nudge but in the last few years it had become a big push and I'd finally decided to take the plunge.  I had heard about this camp and the opportunity to serve there for a number of years before I ever considered that God would want me to get involved. 
 

 
As the hour of their arrival approached, I began to wonder if God really knew what He was doing.  You see this was a very special camp designed to give developmentally and physically disabled adults an opportunity get away from their normal routine and enjoy the special activities that only a camp can give.  It also would give their care-givers a much needed break.

 


Unfortunately for me, I have never had the privilege of getting acquainted with a developmentally disabled adult.  I’ve had a few interactions here and there but never the opportunity to really get to know them.  So I was really unsure how the week would go and whether I would be ready for it.

 

I will never forget the first night . . .

 

It was unforgettable!  There was a pure unadulterated JOY as they lifted their voices in praise to God!  I began to weep as I listened to the most beautiful singing I had ever heard in my life.  None of them could carry a tune but it didn’t matter - it was heaven just the same.  Their praise was an expression of their simple, unquestioning faith and it was breathtaking!


 
All week long, these very special men and women taught me what it looked like to love unconditionally, to praise God from a pure heart, and to pursue what really matters in life.  I thought I was going there to be a help to them but it turned out to be just the opposite.  They helped me to love better, to stop and enjoy the simple, to let go and enjoy all that God has for me.

 

Then Jesus called for the children and said to the disciples, “Let the children come to me.  Don’t stop them!  For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children.  I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.”   Luke 18.16-17

 

Lord, thank you for bringing these special people into my life to help me see You more clearly, to love You more fully and to praise You unreservedly!  Amen.
 

3 comments:

  1. This made me cry--at the beauty of it.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I got tears in my eyes as I was writing it. It was such a powerful moment in my life.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Kristi, I'm at camp as I read this. We miss you and appreciated working with you so much! It was fun to see the pictures and reminisce. God's working in hearts this week.

    ReplyDelete