A few minutes prior to 11:00 on Sunday morning, three groups of boys wind their way down a quiet path through the woods to a small, outdoor chapel. Cold or hot, sun or clouds, a few rain sprinkles or snowflakes, we collect on log benches to sing, pray, and learn about God for an hour each week. Trees gracefully arch their arms above us like grey silhouettes in winter and forming a canopy of green for our shade in summer.
Some weeks we listen as someone retells a story from the Bible. Other times it may be learning about integrity or honesty or allowing God to be the power in our life.
Drawing from an inspiration received while listening to Jason Gray’s song, “Remind Me Who I Am,” Chief David asked everyone to stand in a circle before he {randomly} handed everyone a sign with words of worthlessness painted on them. While the captions were not assigned to anyone in particular, many of them are words we’ve heard subconsciously as satan tries to make us believe lies about ourselves and our worthlessness.
Words like, I’m worthless.
Rejected
They used me.
Failure
I’m stupid.
Victim
Useless
I don’t matter.
Liar
Unsuccessful
It is true that most of us have had things happen that make us feel as though these words are true about us. We allow ourselves to believe the words; but perhaps more significantly, we believe that everyone else defines us with these words whenever they see us. For many boys at camp, negative words have dogged and defined them for years, undermining their ability to believe truth. Much of a boy’s behavior is shaped by his values and his belief about himself.
God longs for all His children to know how loved they are. No matter what happens to us, whether by choices we’ve made or choices other’s have made that affected us, we are loved. His grace and forgiveness covers it all. No matter what we label ourselves or what others label us, we are His beloved.
Through chapel talks like these, through group work, through consistency and routine, through every aspect of camp life, we work together with our boys to help them redefine themselves the way God sees them.
Loved
Valued
Full of potential
Capable of success in their families and at school and every aspect of their life
It’s exactly who God created them to be and nothing that happens in their life can change that.
Want to be inspired by Jason Grey’s song yourself?
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