Camping & Crosses

Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.   Matthew 24:24

You never know the weight of another persons cross.  Those words occurred to me tonight as I watched 44 6th graders tromp through the rain after evening prayer headed back to their cabins.  As I type, we are finishing up our first day of camp and some of those middle lovelies headed off heavy footed and heavy hearted.

I think camp is great and it’s a time to watch the kids bond, build friendships, conquer challenges and grow as young leaders.  I love everything about camp (except for the tissue thin mattresses) and it isn’t a burden to be here in any way but for some of the kids that isn’t the case.  I watched as some of them began to realize mom and dad were pretty far away.   I watched some of them worry about the thunder and rain.  I wondered how many of them were a little heavy hearted because they wouldn’t be able to creep into mom and dad’s room if the thunder woke them up.  For some of them, it will be hard to fall asleep and Friday seems so far away.  To a middle lovely those are heavy crosses to bear the first night of camp.

To some folks, those crosses might seem trivial but to a 12 year old a hundred miles from home that isn’t the case.  There were lots of hugs and winks and promises to pray for a good night of sleep.  I try to explain as best I can that they will feel so strong and  proud when they accomplish this tough thing and there are lots of reminders of the  protection and comfort our Guardian Angels.  The truth is, none of that makes much sense in the middle of the situation.  It’s usually after the fact that we see how God was busy working in the situation all along. God doesn’t tell us to suck it up or tell us to stop whining because the cross really isn’t THAT heavy.  Instead he helps us carry them when we ask.  Tomorrow morning things will look very different and they will be back to the fun.  That is a reminder that crosses aren’t meant to be carried forever.  He gives us rest and sometimes he bears all the weight himself.

God is always reminding us of his love and mercy if we’re paying attention.  My heart was a little heavy this afternoon as I watched the middle lovelies laughing and having a great time together and I couldn’t help thinking about their classmate Samantha that died when these kids were in the 4th grade.  Many of us who love this class call on her heavenly intercession to bless and strengthen this terrific class often and not long after I had prayed a decade of the Rosary asking for that very thing, it started to pour.  A few minutes later the sun popped out and we saw a rainbow over the lake and the other 6th grade teacher was telling us that she had been told a rainbow was a sign of love from someone in heaven.  I realized as I saw that rainbow that Samantha came to camp with us too.  That beautiful rainbow only lasted a little while but it made that cross a little easier to carry.  

As I pray for the middle lovelies to have good sleep, I ask the Lord to help me be aware of those who need help with their crosses instead of trying to determine how heavy I think they are compared to mine.

A Seed To Plant:  Make a list of the crosses you’re carrying and then ask him for help because we’re not meant to do all the heavy lifting ourselves.

​Blessings on your day!