Quit Trying So Hard

Our theme this summer is "Quit Trying So Hard." Romans 4:13-16 emphasizes that our efforts to "be good" so that God will like us and continue to love us only leads to frustration and endless striving to continue to please Him. This has been my life. Either consciously or unconsciously I have lived with a constant "looking over my shoulder" to see if my choices have pleased or disappointed God which led to my feeling close or distant from Him. From my perspective I could never do enough or be good enough to keep Him happy with me.

I am know walking in a new freedom. Jesus did it all on the cross. Because Christ took the sin of the world, the sin of all time upon himself, God turned His back to His son. Jesus did this so we would never have to feel God turning from us. We never have to experience what He felt when He cried out "My God, why have you forsaken me?" Faith in Christ determines our relationship with Him, not our deeds and choices.

Quit trying to be good, quit trying to replace God, quit trying to do it alone and quit trying to be someone else is our message to hundreds of students and adults this summer. A powerful message combined with challenging and rewarding activities in addition to true transparency of our staff have made the first two weeks of camp life changing.

I look forward to what God has in store for the rest of the summer in the lives of campers, staff and myself.

Lance Giles