Church camp commitment

Matthew 26: I’m ready. Do it your way.

When I was growing up a high point of my summers was attending church camp. I loved playing ball and taking hikes and all the other things associated with camp. The ministry at children’s camp focused on the plan of salvation. Many children first gave their hearts to Jesus at camp. At teen camp, though, the focus was more on full surrender, sanctification, accepting a call to the ministry. Teens, more than any other group, grasp the idea of radical commitment. Still, there was a sort of insider’s secret shared by “old timers” like me who had been going to camp through our childhood years. It worked something like this: the Lord will ask you if you’re willing to be a missionary or a pastor but it’s just a test. Once you say “yes” and mean it with all your heart, he won’t actually call you. With that tidbit of information buried in one’s mind, even a sincere seeker had a little bit easier time making a full surrender. When I work with teens I still see in them a willingness to go all out in their commitment to the Lord. Adults carry baggage (jobs, bills to pay, family responsibilities) that has to be sorted through so it’s a more thoughtful process for them. However, adults also have a more realistic attitude concerning what it means to sign on the dotted line. If I commit myself to making monthly mortgage payments I’m really going to have to pay them; there’s nothing theoretical about it! When I see Jesus praying in the Garden I hear him making a full commitment to do his Father’s will. No doubt, Jesus is emotional at this point but there’s more. He knows that this “yes” is the real deal. With his eyes wide open Jesus commits to go to the cross. His full commitment to do the Father’s will both challenges and instructs me as I live the Christian life.

Take Away: The call to full surrender is a real call and needs to be taken seriously.