Learning Through Opposition

My first summer in Maine lead me to Hebrews 12 and truly praying for Jesus' guidance since He knew what I was going through. A refresher on how that summer went, I spent the summer, of my junior year in college, at a summer camp in Readfield, ME. The people I worked with and the children I counseled were totally different than what I was used to in Kansas. The attitudes and thoughts about life were totally flipped from the Christian environment I was used to, especially since most of them were Jewish and not big into faith but into drinking. So I found comfort in reading my little glow-in-the-dark Bible and landed on Hebrews 12 as my strength. Again I found solace in that passage this summer with events like feuding with a negative/whiny co-worker, talking to sarcastic and scary people who were vocal about their atheism or just not friendly around a vocal and nervous Christian, or being at our Cadillac mountain sunset service where a lady came over yelling at us to stop having worship and to leave because we were ruining her evening by our hymn singing and our "lack of consideration" of the separation of church and state law. This summer, again, I felt the pressure from an unbelieving world. I have noticed through these experiences I can truly feel Jesus' love. I feel sorry for those who haven't truly been mocked or discouraged or yelled out because of their faith actions, these moments lead to full reliance on God for strength. Are we in a hostile environment wherever we are, it's just not as noticeable? Is it because we truly aren't in a hostile environment or is it because we truly don't let ourselves show Jesus to those around us to make them feel uncomfortable? I like it best when everyone is happy and comfortable and situations aren't awkward or intimidating. Jesus makes people do weird things and if we truly lived with whole devotion would more people be vocal about or act on their disgust of what I believe. Why did it take two trips to Maine before I noticed the conflict of others around me? Am I truly living for Jesus at home or am I just in a more hostile environment in Maine? May we keep throwing off the things that hinder and the sin that entangles and keep running, remembering that Jesus also saw opposition from sinful men so that we don't grow weary and loose heart. I'm praying for those situations that we don't truly see where the differences lie, may we grow stronger when those situations boil up!